Sparks Fly
by atotalRPGfan
Summary: When Annabelle escaped the castle, she vowed to save Albion, no matter what the cost. Her former self now firmly locked away, she sets off on the road to become queen, but will the attentions of a certain captain cause her to rethink her choice?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hi, guys! This is my first ever fan fiction that I've gotten the nerve to publish here on . I've been writing fan fictions for about three years now and this particular document has been lying on my laptop since November of last year when I discovered the supermegafoxyawesomehotness that is Ben Finn. And, like many other fan girls, I was very upset that he wasn't romance option, so here is my take on a Princess/Ben Finn romance. Please let me know if you see any glaring grammar or spelling errors that I might have missed and know that I'm not quoting the game exactly (I'm working off a very poorly managed memory here!).

Just a fair warning, this will pretty much cover most of the game, with my own scenes thrown in, so there will be spoilers.

So...I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Sparks Fly! Please read and review and let me know what you think!

_Disclaimer: _I do not own Fable 3 or any of the characters.

_**SPARKS FLY**_

_Chapter 1_

"Is that light up ahead? Thank Avo! I was really starting to go mad!" Annabelle cleaned the last of the hobbes' blood off her father's sword while she, Walter and her border collie, Knight, walked to the entrance of the Mourningwood.

"Finally out of that blasted cave," Walter muttered as they stepped into the dimly-lit forest. "Are you all right, my girl?"

"I'm fine, Walter. Where are these friends of yours?" she replied curtly, her emerald eyes scanning the forest.

Walter gave her a fatherly look and let out a sigh. At this, Annabelle felt a slight twinge of guilt at causing Walter such pain. Ever since the incident in the throne room, Annabelle had vowed to herself that she would become strong and independent to save her country, burying the sweet, trusting girl she once was behind a wall of ice and she knew this had upset Walter.

"They're deeper in. I only hope they're still alive," he said ruefully and started marching through the swamps.

She gave him a curious look. "Why wouldn't they be?"

"This place may look harmless, but at night, it becomes one of the most dangerous places in Albion."

Annabelle looked around the marsh with renewed caution. "Then the stories of the Hollow Men are true?"

Walter gave a nod. "The men we're looking for were sent here by your brother to eradicate the threat. He most likely hoped that they would be killed in the process and I'm hoping they survived long enough for us to find them. I trust these men with my life and wouldn't go into a fight without them at my side."

"As long as there is a bath and a warm meal, I won't complain," she muttered and continued trudging through the marshes.

After what seemed like endless stretches of trees and pools of swampy water, the three finally reached a fortress, where they were stopped by a nervous looking guard.

"Cease your movement! Be you men or Hollow Men?" he called from above. Annabelle's hand darted to her pistol strapped to her leg, but Walter's look stopped her.

"Are you daft, boy? If we we're Hollow Men, we wouldn't announce ourselves, would we?" Walter replied.

The guard frowned in recognition. "Walter? Is that really you? I thought…Anyway, I'll open the gate for you." The gate hit the ground with a resounding thud and the three travellers headed inside the fortress. "Tell Major Swift Walter's here!"

Inside, Annabelle saw Walter's face brighten when they were welcomed by a tall, thin, dark-haired man with a very impressive moustache.

"Walter!" the man said in a jolly voice and moved to give Walter a handshake. "Long time no see, old friend!"

"Swiftie! I'm glad to see you're still alive! You always seem to get the best assignments from Logan, don't you," Walter replied and shook the man's hand heartily. Annabelle took a quick scan of the fortress and saw that the soldiers were few and they looked very tired.

"That's true! These damn hollow men just don't seem to stop." The major turned serious. "We've lost some good men. Just last night we lost Lieutenant Simmons and unless we do something drastic, we'll all die before the end of the week. My men are sleep deprived and our supplies are running low." When he finished speaking, his gaze settled on Annabelle. "But enough about me, is this her?"

"Yes. This is Princess Annabelle. Hero and leader of the revolution," Walter replied proudly. "But treat her just like any other pair of hands."

Slightly embarrassed at Walter's description, Annabelle gave a bow and shook Major Swift's hand. "Please, I'm just Annabelle. It's a pleasure to meet you, Major Swift," she said courteously.

"These are the supposed saviours of Albion?" a strange voice asked from behind her. "A princess barely out of her teens and an old nut. I'm going to sleep **so **much better tonight, ignoring the legions of the dead, of course."

Annabelle frowned at the description of her and Walter and whirled around to face another soldier. His handsome face was arranged in a sarcastic smirk and his cerulean eyes twinkled playfully behind a blond fringe.

"It's good to see you're not dead yet, Wally," he said, his grin growing even bigger.

"Ah, Ben Finn! I'm glad to see you're still alive too, boy," Walter said and greeted the man with a firm handshake. "Still a sarcastic ass, I see?"

Ben Finn burst out laughing. "Yes, well, my devilishly handsome appearance isn't all that attracts the horde of adoring ladies, Wally. You're even older than I remember!"

"Shut up, Ben," Walter replied, with a smile. Annabelle studied the man carefully. He was obviously arrogant and though himself a ladies man, from the way he carried himself and the way he had a permanent smirk on his face. There was a certain scoundrel-like air around him. Everything about him shouted "rebel" and she wondered how he ended up in the army. She took an instant dislike to him, but as courtesy demanded, she held out her hand to shake his.

"And this lovely lady must be the princess. Benjamin Finn, Captain of the Royal Albion Army," he said and took her hand, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips to lay a kiss on her knuckles. His lips caused a bolt of electricity to run up her arm, which she blamed on her new shock gauntlet and she tried to pull away. Unfortunately for her, it seemed the captain didn't notice it and didn't let go of her hand. "Please to meet you, Princess," he added with a sly grin, looking her right in the eye.

"It's Annabelle. Please to meet you, as well, Captain Finn," she said as coldly as she could muster. "Not to seem rude, but may I have my hand back? I might be ambidextrous, but it will be difficult to fight without my sword arm."

Captain Finn shot her another grin and finally let go of her hand. "As you command, Princess," he said, quirking his eyebrows at her. Annabelle regarded the man with an icy stare. _He's probably used to women falling over themselves when he does that. Unfortunately for him, I'm not like other women,_ she thought ruefully.

"Please, call me Annabelle," she insisted and the man simply gave a shrug.

"Sorry, Princess," he replied with yet another grin. She felt anger rising in her veins, but she quickly calmed down. There was something absolutely infuriating about this man and she didn't like the way he affected her.

"Ben, cut it out," Walter interrupted sharply. The man gave a shrug as if to say "what" and Walter shot him a more pointed scowl.

"I never get to have any fun around here," Ben muttered, but suddenly resumed his nonchalant demeanour.

Annabelle shook her head and turned to Major Swift. "Major Swift, I'm ashamed to ask, but is there a place where I could clean up and maybe get some food before tonight?"

The Major regarded her with a smile. "Of course, Annabelle. I can only imagine that this must have been a huge adjustment from your normal life. Not to sound insulting, of course," he added quickly.

"Do not worry about it, Major. It has been and I'm not too feministic to admit that sometimes, all a girl wants is a place to wash her face," she replied with a small smile.

"I like you already, Annabelle." The major turned to Ben. "Ben, show Annabelle where she could have a quick meal and a bath. Afterwards, take her up to the mortar and show her how to use it."

"Sure, Swifty. If you'll follow me, Princess," Ben said and cocked his head to the other side of the fortress. From Walter's reaction, she wasn't the only one who wasn't pleased with the arrangement.

"Ben, I'm warning you. If you're anything less than a gentleman, I'll hound you for the rest of your life, boy," he warned him with a steely glare. Annabelle was a bit taken aback by Walter's vehemence, since he was usually so calm. She surmised that her assessment of the captain must have been correct.

Ben clutched his chest melodramatically. "I'm hurt, Wally. I thought you knew me," he said in a faked hurt tone.

Walter was unmoved. "I do, that's why I'm warning you. Don't forget that she is a princess and a Hero, so mind your manners."

Ben shook his head and motioned for Annabelle to follow him. With a whistle, she called Knight to her and reluctantly followed the blond captain.

"So, Princess-," he started but she cut him off.

"It's Annabelle, Captain Finn," she snarled, but he went on undeterred.

"So, Princess, what brings you out here to the middle of nowhere? Looking for help with the revolution?"

"Yes," she said curtly, trying to hint that she wasn't interested in talking, but either he didn't notice, or he was an idiot. Annabelle was leaning toward the latter.

"So it's just you and Wally? I'm surprised to see the bugger is still alive." He thought for a moment. "No, I'm not. He's probably going to outlive us all."

She decided to ignore the anger boiling in her veins again and didn't reply. While they walked, she noticed the men giving her very inappropriate looks and gestures. Apparently, Ben noticed as well.

"Hey! Quit your staring and get back to work, privates, unless you want to do grave duty tomorrow!" he shouted at the most rowdy group.

The leader of the group shot Annabelle another lurid smile. "Since when do you pull rank, Finn? And who is your lovely friend?" he called back.

"Since you started behaving like an ass in front of a lady and Princess to boot," Ben replied curtly. All the soldiers stopped their antics and the leader of the rowdy group gave a bow.

"Sorry, your Majesty," he apologized.

Annabelle replied with a sharp nod. "Apology accepted. And call me Annabelle."

The soldiers bowed again and Annabelle continued walking, ignoring Ben's grin.

After her quick bath, during which she made sure no one watched by having Knight keep watch, she headed to the huge bubbling pot for a quick bowl of soup. When she approached, all the soldiers fell silent and shot her hidden looks. She ignored them and just when she was about to dish up, she was handed a full bowl by a smiling Captain Finn.

"Here you go, Princess. Eat up and I'll show you how to use the mortar," he said and began eating from his own bowl. "I have to say, you look decidedly more beautiful without that layer of mud, Princess. You're even starting to look like a princess, despite your mercenary clothes."

"The mud didn't seem to confuse anyone else about my gender, Captain. You must have terrible eyesight. How do you even use a rifle?" she replied icily and continued eating. Silently, she was seething about the fact that he was clearly adding her title to his sentences to annoy her.

Unfortunately, the quip didn't have the desired effect because Ben let out another laugh. "I wasn't referring to your gender, Princess, but rather your station. And, just so you know, my eyesight and rifle skills are top notch. I'm the best sharpshooter in the army," he boasted proudly.

"Humble, aren't you?" She drank down the last of her soup and got to her feet. "Nightfall will be here soon. We'd better be on our way."

The captain stood up and slurped down his soup. "Right you are, Princess. Follow me," he said and headed up the stairs to the battlement, Annabelle and Knight at his heels. At the top they were met with a bandaged and clearly injured soldier.

"Private Jammy, at your service!" he greeted them and gave a noisy sniff.

Annabelle couldn't help but her eyebrow at his name. "Jammy?"

"So called because he's the jammiest sod in the whole damn Swift Brigade. He'll be your loader," Ben said.

"Seven-hundred and twenty-four injuries and still standing!" Jammy added proudly.

Annabelle must have shown some of her apprehension on her face, because Ben whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, you'll get used to him. After a while he isn't repulsive at all."

When he stood so close, Annabelle noticed just how handsome he actually was and her heart sped up when she imagined kissing those chapped, but sculpted lips, his strong arms encircling her waist…

_What the hell is wrong with me? _she thought and jerked away with shock. The captain shot her that infuriating grin and she focused her attention on the mortar in front of her, to calm her thoughts down._ Stop it, Annabelle! You're being completely irrational!_

"Well, I assume you've never used a mortar before, Princess, so I'll give you the quick lesson. It's actually quite simple. You put your hands there, you aim and you shoot. The most important thing is be careful. There is always the risk of maiming and death from using this thing and I'll hate to see anything happen to that pretty face of yours."

Annabelle narrowed her green eyes at the last statement and placed her hands carefully on the handholds. "Like this?" she asked the captain, not looking at his face in fear that she'll lose focus again.

"Like that if you want aforementioned maiming. Here let me show you," he said and moved behind her, placing his hands on hers and pinning her between the mortar and his own body. Annabelle inhaled sharply and tried not to think of him standing so close that she could feel his strong chest and smell his scent of sandalwood tinged with sweat, smoke and gunpowder. "Don't get excited, Princess. This is just a demonstration," his deep voice whispered into her ear and moved her hands to the correct position with his. "There. Less chance of maiming."

She gave a nod of thanks and ignited the fuse with her gauntlet, aiming at one of the scarecrows below. A direct hit destroyed the scarecrow, but the recoil sent her flying solidly into Ben's chest. "Just like that. You're a pretty good shot, Princess. I wonder if you're as skilled in close combat," he breathed into her ear and she felt herself blush with pride and the fact that he was standing so close. He pulled away and gave her his signature grin. "Now, try the next one on your own."

Jammy reloaded and she aimed at the other scarecrow. Another direct hit. "All right. One left," Ben said.

Jammy's eyes narrowed as he said, "I don't remember setting that one up."

With a start, Annabelle realized what was happening. "Hollow Men! To your stations!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: _

"Captain Finn! The scouts report sightings of two people and a dog approaching the fort!"

Ben Finn hastily straightened up in the chair he was using as a makeshift bed, trying to look as if he hadn't been sleeping upright for the past few hours.

"Are they wearing any markings to show their allegiance?" he asked the nervous looking private in front of him. He was the youngest in the brigade, far too young to Ben's liking to be stationed in this hell to face certain death each night. _ And what are you? An old man?_ he chastised himself.

The boy shook his head. "No sir. The one is wearing mercenary clothes, like the Deserters wear, but otherwise, no. It does seem-"

The private was interrupted by the guardsman. "Cease your movement! Be you men or Hollow Men?" he called to the people outside.

A man's voice replied wearily. "Are you daft, boy? If we we're Hollow Men, we wouldn't announce ourselves, would we?"

A huge smile split over Ben's lips and got to his feet. He knew that grizzled voice anywhere.

Ben stretched out the knots from sleeping in a chair, his joints giving loud pops at each movement and went to welcome his old friend. What they needed now, was a morale booster and Sir Walter Beck would be perfect for the job. Any soldier in the army knew of the legend and even here in the marshes of Mourningwood they'd heard whispers of revolution, under his guidance.

_Hell, even I'm feeling less morbid,_ he though ruefully and headed over to where Swiftie was already welcoming Walter and his companion. He took a moment to appraise Walter's companion and realized with a shock that, despite the men's clothing and thick layer of splattered mud and what seemed to be blood, she was decidedly female.

And what a fine specimen she was. Even through the unflattering clothes, he could see the very defined curves of her thin waist and long legs. She held herself with grace and, even though she was petite, her presence seemed larger than life. Her thick dark brown hair was tied into a bun with a few tendrils framing her gorgeous face, despite the leather strap tied around her head in an obvious effort to keep them out of her eyes. Her full red lips were accentuated by her porcelain skin and he was drawn into the forest pools that were her eyes.

He gave a low, quiet whistle. What was a beauty like that doing with Walter out here? Deciding that Swiftie had talked long enough, he went closer.

"Yes. This is Princess Annabelle. Hero and leader of the revolution," Walter said proudly. "But treat her just like any other pair of hands."

So the rumours were true. Walter and the princess and escaped the castle and were leading a revolution. He could see how the girl could be a princess, but a Hero? How could this little girl be one of the Heroes he'd read about when he was a boy?

The girl, Annabelle, gave a bow and shook Swift's hand. "Please, I'm just Annabelle. It's a pleasure to meet you, Major Swift," she said in a very polite tone. Even her voice was noble.

And, with this, Ben jumped into the conversation. "These are the supposed saviours of Albion? A princess barely out of her teens and an old nut. I'm going to sleep **so **much better tonight, ignoring the legions of the damned, of course," he said sarcastically.

At his words, the princess turned to face him, her features arranged in a frown and despite that, she was even more beautiful up close. He turned his attention to the old man next to her. "It's good to see you're not dead yet, Wally."

Walter's face brightened in recognition and held out his hand. Ben took it and gave the man a hearty handshake. "Ah, Ben Finn! I'm glad to see you're still alive too, boy." Ben twinged inwardly at the use of Walter's little nickname for him, but shrugged it off. "Still a sarcastic ass, I see?"

Ben let out a laugh. "Yes, well, my devilishly handsome appearance isn't all that attracts the horde of adoring ladies, Wally. You're even older than I remember!"

Walter retorted with his most used saying when he talked to Ben. "Shut up, Ben."

He turned to look at the princess next to Walter, who was clearly studying him, though she tried to hide it. He wondered if she liked what she saw. The girl held out her hand, clearly in an attempt to shake it, but he decided to take his more accustomed route when dealing with the fairer sex.

"And this lovely lady must be the princess. Benjamin Finn, Captain of the Royal Albion Army," he said and took her hand to give it a kiss. Ben felt a charge when his lips touched her hand and, based on her reaction, she felt it too. He wondered what it was, but ignored it, owing it to static in the air. Despite her gentle tugs, he didn't let go of her hand, revelling in the feel of her soft hand. As a self-proclaimed expert on rifles and women, he was trying to determine what the best way was to impress this particularly lady.

He shot her a sly grin and tilted his head down to look her right in her emerald eyes. "Please to meet you, Princess."

The princess seemed unfazed. "It's Annabelle. Please to meet you, as well, Captain Finn," she replied, her icy tone belying the politeness of the statement. "Not to seem rude, but may I have my hand back? I might be ambidextrous, but it will be difficult to fight without my sword arm."

Ben felt his grin widen at her words. She was a feisty one. "As you command, Princess," he said and released her hand, waggling his eyebrows at her. Her reaction was a cold stare.

Ben was astonished. His charms had never failed him when it came to women, but it seemed this one was immune. He grinned inwardly at the challenge she posed and set off to find her chink in her armor.

"Please, call me Annabelle," she insisted and he got an idea.

Shrugging, he shot her another smile. "Sorry Princess."

_Direct hit,_ he thought as he saw her green eyes flash with anger. _Not such an ice princess now, are you? _Though it wasn't exactly the reaction he was hoping for, seeing her get riled up was almost as satisfying as if she had smiled.

His thoughts were interrupted by Walter's curt interruption. "Ben, cut it out." Ben gave him a noncommittal shrug and was greeted with another scowl.

"I never get to have any fun around here," Ben muttered.

Ben heard Annabelle ask for a bath and a meal. _A princess all right._ Swift asked him to show her where she could clean up and eat and he brightened at the prospect of getting to know her a bit better. "Sure, Swiftie. If you'll follow me, Princess."

After Walter threatened him with nothing short of certain death, he guided the princess to their bath area. She ignored his questions and he was starting to wonder if royalty had permission to be rude. He was getting the distinct impression that she didn't like him. _We'll change that soon enough,_ he thought to himself.

He had his turn to chew out some rowdy privates and, to his surprise, the princess seemed unfazed by their antics. _Could it be? Am I the only one that elicits any emotion from you, Princess?_ he thought, pleased with himself. When he snapped out of his reverie, she was already gone.

Ignoring the more roguish part of him that was urging him to go to the ledge that would give a perfect view while she bathed without her knowing a thing, he headed to the soup pots.

He listened to the other soldiers gossiping about the beautiful princess and grinned to himself. They haven't seen a woman in a very long time and it showed. He hadn't felt the touch of a woman for the longest time himself. Of course it would make a great tale if he managed to bed the beautiful princess, but there was something that made her stand out against all of the others that caught his eye in the past, ignoring the fact that she obviously couldn't stand him, of course. _But that's just because she doesn't' know me yet,_ he thought with a smirk.

After a while, he saw her approach and he inhaled sharply. It seemed the dirt was enough to blur some of her features because now, clean, she looked even more striking. He noticed her hair, which she'd left loose, fell almost to her waist and curled damply against her face. He sighed inwardly at the sight. He'd always had a thing for brunettes with long hair.

He went to give her a bowl and sat down next to her to eat his own bowl. "Here you go, Princess. Eat up and I'll show you how to use the mortar. I have to say, you look decidedly more beautiful without that layer of mud, Princess. You're even starting to look like a princess, despite your mercenary clothes."

The bath, apparently, had done nothing to dull her tongue. "The mud didn't seem to confuse anyone else about my gender, Captain. You must have terrible eyesight. How do you even use a rifle?" she replied icily and continued eating, but he saw that tantalizing flash of anger in her eyes when he'd called her "Princess".

He burst out laughing. "I wasn't referring to your gender, Princess, but rather your station. And, just so you know, my eyesight and rifle skills are top notch. I'm the best sharpshooter in the army," he boasted proudly. It was a long shot to try and impress her like that, but he had to try. Besides, his shooting was one thing he could boast about. He'd been an excellent shot since he was a child.

"Humble, aren't you?" she retorted coldly. _Okay, not the best idea today. _She got to her feet and continued. "Nightfall will be here soon. We'd better be on our way."

He led her up to the battlements to show her how to use the mortar. She was clearly not used to Jammy, because she seemed slightly apprehensive when he introduced himself.

"Jammy?" she asked, her tone disbelieving.

"So called because he's the jammiest sod in the whole damn Swift Brigade. He'll be your loader," he said.

"Seven-hundred and twenty-four injuries and still standing!" Jammy added proudly.

Her expression gave him enough reason to lean in and whisper in her ear. "Don't worry, you'll get used to him. After a while he isn't repulsive at all." He noticed she stared at him for a moment before jerking away. _And what were you thinking just now, Princess?_ he thought and his lips split into a grin.

Suddenly, it was back to business, when he realized that she was going to determine how many hollow men make it to the fort. "Well, I assume you've never used a mortar before, Princess, so I'll give you the quick lesson. It's quite simple. You put your hands there, you aim and you shoot. The most important thing is be careful. There is always the risk of maiming and death from using this thing and I'd hate to see anything to that pretty face of yours," he couldn't help but add.

His reward was her narrowing her eyes into slits. She put her hands on the handholds. "Like this?" she asked and he noticed that she didn't look him in the eye. Though she was barely a millimetre off, he couldn't resist.

"Like that if you want aforementioned maiming. Here let me show you," he said and moved behind her. When he placed his hands over hers, he noticed that despite the fact that he had embarrassingly small hands for a man, hers were even smaller and more delicate than a woman who was about to fight a battle against undead horrors should have. He also noticed that she fit perfectly against his body and he felt her inhale sharply. "Don't get excited, Princess. This is just a demonstration," he whispered into her ear and moved her hands to the correct position with his. "There. Less chance of maiming."

She gave him the smallest of nods, but he appreciated the thank you. Before he could hand her a match, she'd already ignited the fuse with her hand. _So she really is a Hero_, he thought to himself and watched as the scarecrow exploded due to a direct hit. He was pleased when the recoil sent her crashing into his chest and he could smell the soap from her bath, mixed with the smell of wildflowers.

"Just like that. You're a pretty good shot, Princess. I wonder if you're as skilled in close combat," he breathed into her ear and he felt her heat up with a blush. Very pleased, he pulled away and shot her a grin. "Now, try the next one on your own."

Jammy reloaded and she aimed at the other scarecrow. Another direct hit. "All right. One left," Ben said and he watched Jammy's eyes narrowed as he said,

"I don't remember setting that one up."

The princess reacted before any of them. "Hollow Men! To your stations!" Ben pulled out his rifle, praying that she was as good as he thought she would be.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: I know the story starts out slow, but it's going to pick up from here, I promise! I have a lot of the chapters already written, but I'd appreciate some feedback. Please, let me know what you think! Like I said, I'm new at this, so I'm not even sure if I'm heading in the right direction! Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!_

_Chapter 3_

"Hollow Men! To your stations!" she called to the fortress while aiming the mortar at the "scarecrow". Sure enough, the scarecrow transformed to a skeleton within seconds and she fired.

Ben pulled out his rifle and aimed at the Hollow Men that were appearing on their right flank, taking three out with one shot. "As you can see, my "humility", as you called it, is justified," he said with a cocky grin and Annabelle resumed firing the mortar, shaking her head at the very annoying captain.

"Shut up and fire, Captain," she snapped, though she was secretly impressed.

Soon, the hollow men were to close for her to use the mortar and were beating down the back door. With a groan, she unsheathed her sword and turned around to jump off the battlement, but Ben stopped her by grabbing her hand. "Are you insane? A normal person can't survive that jump!" he exclaimed, but she shrugged him off.

"Then it's a good thing I'm a Hero," she replied and leapt off, charging her gauntlet in mid-air. Just before she hit the ground, she unleashed the build-up of will, sending out a shockwave of fire and lightning to the now breached door, which took out more than a few hollow men. Her lips split into a smirk and she rushed into the fray, wielding her sword.

For every hollow man she killed, two more took its place and soon the fortress was filled with the monsters. While whipping out her pistol to shoot one, she felt someone push up against her back.

"Need a hand, Princess?" Ben asked and took out a few with his rifle.

"Not from you, Finn. I can handle myself," she snapped and, as if to prove her point, she did a quick handspring, firing her pistol at a couple of Hollow Men's chests. To her dismay, the captain was at her side almost the instant she landed on her feet and let out a laugh.

"So I'm Finn now?" She ignored him and pirouetted around to cleave a hollow man's skull in two, subtly moving away from the captain. Unfortunately for her, every time she danced away, he'd come right back to her side.

"If I didn't know any better, Princess, I'd swear you were trying to get away from me," he remarked.

"Noticed that, did you? I told you, I fight on my own, Captain," she hissed in reply.

"Well, you're fighting alongside my brigade, Princess and I'm not going to give Walter any reason to kill me, should something happen to you," he retorted.

"If you're going to insist on being an idiot, shut up, stay out of my way and fire, Finn," she conceded and fell into step with him. To her shock and slight delight, the man's movement flowed seamlessly in step with hers. He was an excellent shot with his rifle, she had to admit, and, combined with her gauntlets, sword and pistol, they dispatched more than a few hollow men.

As another battalion breeched the door, Annabelle rushed forward yet again, fire blazing in her hand. The release of will left her slightly winded and she knew she was reaching the end of her stamina. Despite this, she charged another attack, but let it fade away when Walter clamped a hand on her shoulder.

"Be careful, Anna, you're using too much will!" he warned over the din of swords clashing together.

"I don't have a choice," she gritted through her teeth and charged three hollow men, ignoring Walter's worried cries. She knew she couldn't rely overly much on her shooting abilities, since they were sorely lacking, so that left her sword and will, the latter being much more convenient. There was also the added fact that only Heroes could use magic and it made her feel special that she was able to wield it. 

Finally, the last hollow man fell dead at Annabelle's feet. All around her, the remaining soldiers cheered and thanked her. When she could manage to slip away, she disappeared into a dark corner, trying to catch her breath. She would never admit it to Walter, but she regretted not listening to him. Her limbs were screaming at her and her head was pounding. She sagged against the wall, dropping her head into her hands and let a few tears escape. She hadn't had a single chance to breathe ever since she started this fool quest and suddenly it was too much. Seeing those soldiers look at her as if she truly was a Hero…believing in her even though she didn't even believe in herself made her realise the importance of the revolution yet again. _I can't let them see my weakness. I must be strong,_ she thought and struggled to her feet.

She scrubbed the last remains of the tears with the sleeve of her dirty jacket and straightened herself out. However, when she moved to leave the alcove, she was stopped by the silhouette of someone blocking her entrance. "You alright, Princess?" Ben Finn's voice asked softly. She was surprised to hear actual concern in his tone instead of his usual cockiness.

"Yes, I'm fine," she snapped, annoyed when she heard the slight tremble in her voice. From his reaction, he heard it too. He took a step forward and she could now see his blue eyes, blazing as if they were charged with electricity.

"You don't sound fine. If you want to talk, you're welcome. I know this can't be easy for you."

_Why did __**he**__ have to be the one to see me like this?_ she though with desperation. "You know nothing about me, Captain." She charged past him, but he caught her arm and whirled her to face him.

"Hey, I'm not your enemy. I'm just trying to help," he said, those blue orbs burning into hers. Everything about his gaze made her feel uncomfortable, as if he could see right into her soul. Even worse, his tender look made her feel as if she could trust him with her deepest fears and secrets. _No, I can't open myself to another like I did with Elliot…Especially not a man as infuriating and idiotic as Captain Finn! _

"You can't. Nobody can." With this, she wrenched free of his grip and marched back into the open, her mask firmly in place. She was so overcome with soldiers shaking her hand that she almost missed the blue wisp that entered the fortress.

"Get ready, there's still one left!" she exclaimed and reached for her sword. Ben, who appeared suddenly at her side, followed suite with his rifle and they all turned to see the blue wisp enter the deceased Lieutenant Simmons's grave. With a groan, the earth split to reveal the biggest Hollow Man Annabelle had ever seen.

"Lieutenant Simmons! I specifically commanded you to stay buried!" Major Swift called and readied his rifle.

"Doesn't anyone follow orders around here?" Ben added mournfully and Annabelle rolled her eyes at him.

"Like you're one to talk, Captain Finn," she said and started charging her gauntlets. The captain opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly the Hollow Man let out a piercing howl and whole Fort was knocked unconsciousness, save for Annabelle.

"Great! The biggest and most dangerous damn Hollow Man out of all of them and I get to fight him by myself!" she called to no one in particular and released the bolt and fireball she'd been building up in her hand at the shambling skeleton. The attack did nothing but tear open his already torn stomach further and Annabelle let out a stream of curse words, thankful that Walter was unconscious.

She steeled herself with a breath and charged in with her sword and pistol drawn. In the beginning it was simple enough to dodge him while peppering him with bullets, but soon, thanks to its ability to call more hollow men, Annabelle was surrounded and in desperate need of help.

"Hell, I'd even accept help from that damn Captain Finn!" she exclaimed and beheaded a hollow man with a flourish.

She charged up her gauntlets and formed an area attack to kill some of the weaker skeletons. Soon it was just her and Lieutenant Simmons. She cocked her pistol to unleash another hail of bullets, but the click that sounded an empty chamber made her swear even louder. She didn't have time to reload and the monster was getting closer and closer.

Unsheathing her sword, she sent a silent prayer that her father would help her, wherever he might be and charged in. Lieutenant Simmons was stronger than her, but she was quicker and more agile. Unfortunately, she was winded and even her Hero healing abilities didn't kicked in quickly enough for her to recover from each of his hits.

Soon, she was so exhausted that her vision was starting to blur and she could barely muster the strength to parry the monster's hits. A staggering blow from his sword knocked hers out of her hand and sent it flying in the opposite direction. Lieutenant Simmons seized this moment to kick her with his heavy boot, sending her sprawling. She tried to push herself up with her arm, but the effort proved too much for her already exhausted limbs.

_Just one shot. One shot is all I need,_ she thought desperately and looked around for a rifle or pistol. Unfortunately, she was cut off from the other soldiers by the quickly approaching skeleton. Mustering all of her strength she got to her feet and looked for a way to escape, but she was cornered. All she could do when the skeleton swept his sword downward was dance out of the way and back herself further into the corner. With another kick, the lieutenant sent her to her knees. As she stared up at his sword which he was raising high over his head a thought ran through her head. _So this is how I die…I'm sorry Father. I failed you and Albion._

She waited for the sword to arch downward to deliver her death, but instead she heard a single rifle shot in the quiet night. She opened her eyes slowly and through the dust from the crumbling skeleton she could just make out Ben Finn's faintly moonlit face before she slipped into oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

"Stop pacing, Walter, you're making me dizzy," Ben called to the man who was wearing a path into the dirt floor. "She's fine. She just collapsed from exhaustion, like anyone would after fighting on their own for who knows how long."

Ben shook his head as Walter continued to pace. He knew the old man was protective of the princess, but she was fine. _Thank Avo I woke up in time,_ he thought gratefully. When he'd woken up and saw her crouching, the skeleton looming over her, he'd reacted as quickly as possible, hoping and praying he would be fast enough to stop her from dying.

He glanced over to Annabelle lying on the stretcher. She looked so vulnerable. He still couldn't believe that this girl could fight as well as she did and if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he still wouldn't believe that she could be a Hero. If he hadn't been fearing for his life during the fight last night, he would have enjoyed simply watching her dance with her sword. This girl was something else.

The scene directly after the battle played over and over in his mind. The hurt and desperation in her eyes had frightened him and seeing that raw emotion in her eyes made him realise that she was hiding so much from the world. Despite her frigid exterior, it was clear that she was overwhelmed and he couldn't blame her. She was much too young to have this burden of an entire country on her small shoulders. If he remembered correctly, she had barely turned nineteen a few months ago.

Annabelle gave a slight stir and muttered a name she'd repeated over and over.

"Elliot."

_Probably a former lover or something,_ he thought. There was no way that this girl didn't have a string of admirers and he felt slightly jealous of this Elliot that had earned the privilege of occupying Annabelle's dreams.

"Wally, who's Elliot?" he asked the older man. Walter gave him one of his scowls and Ben rolled his eyes. "She keeps repeating his name. I was just wondering," Ben said defensively.

Walter let out a sigh and finally sat down. "He's Annabelle's childhood sweetheart. The day we escaped from the castle, there was a demonstration. Logan ordered the ringleaders killed, but Annabelle refused. Logan gave her a choice. Either she sentenced the ringleaders to death, or Elliot, who'd been by her side at the time. Annabelle refused to choose, saying that he should punish her instead, but he said that if she couldn't choose, he'd execute all of them. She chose to save Elliot and Logan forced her to watch as he executed the villagers. We had to leave before she could make sure he was all right and it troubles her greatly."

Ben listened intently to Walter's narration and at the end he couldn't help but feel even sorrier for the princess. What would he have done in her situation? Save someone he loved, or a group of strangers? How could anyone make a decision like that and live without any regrets and second-guessing your choice? Suddenly, part of the desperation in her eyes made sense.

"Do you think he's still alive?" Ben asked Walter.

Walter gave a shrug. "I told Annabelle that he can take care of himself when she asked the same thing, but I'm not so sure. The boy can barely hold his own in a fight, but he is very resourceful. Unfortunately, it is possible that Logan captured him to interrogate him about Annabelle's whereabouts."

"Does she love him?"

"Very much. I'm not too crazy about him, since he has always been a bit of a pansy in my eyes, but despite Logan and my own reservations, she insisted that she will marry him one day."

Ben let out a sigh. "She's probably going to want to look for him in Industrial."

"Of that, I have no doubt." Walter eyed Ben wearily. "Listen Ben, I like you, but I don't want you to hurt her. I know how you've treated and fallen in love with many women in the past and I'm only going to say this once. If you do anything to her that I deem inappropriate, be it a gaze, an action, anything, I won't hesitate to kill you, do you understand? This girl has no family left and I promised her father on his deathbed that I would protect her."

"I was just concerned that she is going to be distracted. There's a lot riding on her shoulders." Ben gave a shrug. "Come on, Wally, I've done a lot of things and have been called many things, scoundrel being one of the more polite ones, on many occasions, but I'm not going to risk my own life for a quick roll in the hay or some unrequited love affair." _Besides, she'd probably kill me faster than you would if I tried anything,_ he added silently. Maybe he should try to be less brash when dealing with her.

Walter turned red and started to form a reply, but he was interrupted by Annabelle stirring awake and the old knight rushed to her side.

"Walter?" she asked softly and let out a groan. "What happened?"

"Lieutenant Simmons almost lobbed off that pretty head of yours, but I woke up in time to kill him. You passed out afterwards," Ben cut in, a smile on his lips.

She was feeling strong enough to shoot him a cold glare. "**You** saved me?" She fell back on the stretcher with a huff. "Forgive me if I'm surprised you could land a shot like that. On the other hand, dying would have been a more pleasurable experience than this horrid throbbing, that's for sure."

"A thank you would be appreciated more than hostility, Princess. I did save your life after all," he replied snidely, shaking his head. This must be the most ungrateful woman he ever had the misfortune of meeting. _I must be the biggest masochist ever to want to endure this._

"I wouldn't need saving if **you** hadn't passed out in the first place," she retorted.

"Clearly, your little accident has done nothing to dull you tongue or stunning personality," he replied sarcastically, his resolve to be more considerate tossed to the four winds. _It was a lot easier to make that decision while she was unconscious!_ "At least you're admitting that you need me, Princess."

She sat upright. "I never said that. I said that I wouldn't have been in that particular predicament if **you** didn't decide to take a little catnap in the middle of a fight."

"I thought you fought alone, Princess," he said with a smile, raising his eyebrow. She opened her mouth to reply, but shut it quickly, turning bright red with either fury or embarrassment. "Don't get into a fire fight without any ammunition, Princess," he taunted her, pleased that he'd gotten her to blush.

"Has anyone told you that you are absolutely infuriating?" she spat at him.

"More than I'd care to count, unfortunately. Fortunately, the women that called me infuriating all change their minds quickly enough." With this, he shot her a wink and he saw her eyes flash with anger.

"Well, I'm not one of your whores, Finn." He couldn't help but notice the way her two front teeth overlapped slightly when she sneered at him. The little imperfection, slight as it might be, reminded him that she was actually human and he found it absolutely adorable. _Now if only I can see that in a smile._

"How quick you are to assume that only whores are interested in me. Some of the women I was referring to had been nobles, Princess," he retorted, still grinning.

She started formed a reply, but Walter cut in. "Both of you, cut it out. Annabelle, I'm glad you're alright."

Her expression changed from blind fury to tender care when she addressed Walter. "I'm glad you are unharmed, Walter. Is the rest of the brigade alright?"

Ben started to interrupt, but she shut him up with a cold glare. "I wasn't asking you, Captain."

"They lost a few men, including Private Jammy," Walter said sorrowfully. Ben watched as Annabelle's face fell. _She did care. What a surprise,_ he thought with a start. "But it would have been much worse had you not been here," Walter added quickly.

Annabelle sat up gingerly and rubbed her temples. Her gaze darted downward and her face contracted in horror, probably at the sight of the bandages wrapped around her middle. _Oh, come on, she can't really be surprised that she got hurt,_ he thought, slightly irritated. _Besides, it's not as if her injuries were __**that**__ bad. Just a few-_

Ben's thoughts were brought to a screeching halt by a loud exclamation from the princess. "Who undressed me?" A bright red blush coloured her face as she hiked the blankets higher, obviously trying to cover her modesty. _Okay, not the injury._

"Ben helped me dress your wounds. He's the only one with medic training who was in a state to help you," Walter replied, confusion written on his face. If possible, the princess turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Come on, Princess, you can't be concerned about your modesty in these kind of situations," Ben tried to placate. "Besides, Walter used a sheet to cover up the more interesting bits."

When he said those words, the princess's expression changed from sheer horror to blind outrage. If looks could kill, Ben would have been long gone.

In reality, even without seeing her body completely, the princess was easily the most gorgeous woman he has ever laid eyes on. She was every bit as curvy as he had imagined, with a tapered waist, full hips and strong, muscular legs and arms. Though her skin was ghosted with the remains of battle scars, they only added to her overall beauty and made her unique. He had to remind himself constantly while bandaging her that Walter was watching and that he couldn't ogle too much, lest he lose a limb.

"But…but what if you took advantage of me while I was incapacitated?" she retorted, clutching the blanket even tighter. Ben let out an involuntary snort at this.

"Come on, do you really think I'm that depraved that I would **molest** you or something while Walter watched? I wasn't left alone with you for even a moment. And even if I was, I'm not a monster! You were hurt and I helped!"

To her credit, she looked slightly embarrassed before the colour faded from her cheeks. "Then I apologize that I may have given you the impression that I think you inappropriate," she said stiffly, not looking him in the eye.

"May have given me the impression?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, but Walter shut him up with a glare.

"Is Major Swift ready to join our cause?" she asked, getting to her feet slowly. She pitched forward slightly and Ben rushed forward, holding out an arm for her to hold on to. Though she took it, he was met with yet another glare as she quickly straightened up.

"The whole Swift Brigade is at your command, Annabelle," Walter replied. "Swiftie, Ben and the rest of the brigade will be coming with us to Bowerstone."

Ben saw her flinch slightly at the mention of his name. Did she really think that he was going to stay in this hellhole any longer than necessary? Besides, was a thank you too much to ask for, seeing as he saved her life?

"Then we'd better get a move on," she said. Walter nodded and they went to the fortress gate to meet with the other soldiers who had been waiting for her to recover. She was met with welcoming cheers and Ben noticed that she tinged pink at the adoration. He was strongly starting to suspect that her whole ice princess image was a façade, a defence mechanism to protect herself, like he did with his humour or sarcasm.

"All right, men. We'd better get out of this forest before nightfall. Let's move out!" Swift commanded and the soldiers started marching toward Bowerstone Industrial. The mood was considerably lighter than the previous day and the air was filled with laughter, jokes and tales of the previous battle. Ben thought about the unedited autobiography he'd been writing where he'd written about this specific phenomenon. What did he do with those pages anyway? He put it out of his mind. It was a good day to be a part of the Swift Brigade.


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Annabelle tossed around in her bedroll, trying to get to sleep. They had set up camp just outside Mourningwood and the celebrations had gotten quite out of hand, which meant that the soldiers were either passed out drunk, or still going at it on the other side of camp. Unfortunately, when she turned around again, she was met with the sight of a very sober Ben Finn sitting by the nearby fire, the only man she did not want to see at that moment.

"Can't sleep, Princess?" he asked and gave her a grin. "I have to imagine that this is much different from the thousand count sheets you're used to."

She scowled at him. "I've been travelling over Albion for about three months now and the better number of those nights was spent on worse ground than this. Aren't you supposed to be passed out in your own vomit somewhere?"

"Yes, well, I had the misfortune of drawing watch duty tonight, so no celebration for me," he replied. "I noticed you didn't drink anything either. What's your excuse, Princess?"

"I was in no mood to wake up with a splitting headache tomorrow." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Were you watching me, Captain?"

He gave shrug. "And if I did? I am a very observant person, Princess, and when the object of my attention is a beautiful woman, I notice every detail."

She felt herself blush when he called her beautiful and she was thankful that it was too dark for him to see her face clearly. She felt confusion flare up at her reaction. Why did she feel pleased when he called her beautiful? That pleasure, however, changed to anger the very next moment, when he opened his mouth.

"So, I noticed you dream about this Elliot a lot. Special someone, I imagine, for you to mutter his name every five minutes. And I can only imagine what you're dreaming about," he remarked and she saw his teeth glint in the firelight.

"Don't you dare talk about Elliot!" she snapped.

"Oh, I hit a nerve, did I? Not to sound pessimistic, Princess, but do you really think he's still alive? I would think Logan would have captured him by now and if what Walter's told me is true, he wouldn't have been able to withstand torture."

She glared at him and made a mental note to berate Walter later for telling Be- _Captain Finn_ about Elliot. "Elliot is ten times the man you'll ever be, Captain."

Ben laughed, which only infuriated her even more. "I doubt it, Princess. From what I'm told, he's a bit of a wimp. What a woman like you is doing pining for a man who can't even hold his own in a fight when other men like me are available, I don't know," he said playfully and shot her a pointed grin. "He must really be something in bed if you're willing to choose him over me."

Her face flushed hot with embarrassment. "That is none of your business, Captain. And I wouldn't deign myself to touch you if you were the last man in Albion!"

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Princess. Stronger willed women than you have fallen to my charms." He lowered his voice to a husky whisper. "And besides…who says I want to touch you?"

She could literally felt her blood boil. "Well, I'm sure you'll find that I don't easily change my convictions and right now I am convinced that you are a good-for-nothing scoundrel who was lucky enough not to be killed yet!"

"Princess, you hardly know me and you're convinced you can make an accurate assessment of me? I'm flattered."

She uttered a strangled scream and turned over to face the opposite direction. Her efforts at trying to fall asleep were interrupted by the blond captain almost immediately.

"Hey, Princess, I know you're trying to ignore me, so I'm just going to say what's on my mind. I'm sorry for what I said about Elliot. I just think he's a huge idiot for letting you go traipsing over Albion without him at your side. And before you freak out, I know you can handle yourself, but I know from personal experience that it's nice to have someone to talk to. I know you have Walter, but I mean someone who understands you. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, if you're willing to endure my company, I'd like to go with you when you go looking for him, which I'm sure you will, if only to see if the man truly is a pansy with my own eyes. What do you say?"

She turned to face him. "You want to help me when I look for Elliot? You have got to be kidding me."

"I'm not. I am completely serious," he said, his blue eyes sparkling with sincerity.

"Then you're insane. I'm going to do this on my own, Finn. I don't need your help or anyone else's," she snapped and turned over, forcing herself to go to sleep.

"You can't do everything on your own, Princess. Sometimes you need help, even if you think you don't," Ben's voice cut through the night. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

She didn't answer him, but she thought about his words while she pretended to sleep. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She couldn't do everything on her own. Hell, she wouldn't even be here if it weren't for other's help. Walter and Jasper helped her escape from the castle and even Captain Finn saved her life. And here she was trekking over Albion to gain allies to overthrow her brother's reign. As much as she wanted to believe she could do things on her own, she couldn't.

_But why did __**he**__ have to be the one to point it out to me? He's arrogant, sarcastic and so…so…so absolutely frustrating! What I wouldn't give to have Elliot by my side instead of this…this cocky scoundrel!_ Her heart was still aching with longing for the brown-haired boy. Though she was killing herself with guilt over her decision to let those villagers die, she hadn't been strong enough to send Elliot to his death.

She could still see Elliot's liquid brown eyes pleading with her to choose him and let him die, but she couldn't. He was her first and only love, the only boy she's ever kissed and the boy she lost her maidenhood to. She couldn't let him die.

_If that makes me selfish and weak…so be it._

Finally, the sun started to rise and Annabelle set about packing her things so they could head to Bowerstone.

oOoOoOo

Bowerstone Industrial wasn't anything like Annabelle had ever seen. The air was filled with despair and everywhere the people looked downtrodden. _How can Logan let his people live like this?_ she thought as she saw the factory filled with child labourers.

"Now you see what life really is outside the castle, Annabelle. Poverty, despair…We've travelled through death-infested forests and faced countless evils, but here's where it gets even worse. Bowerstone Industrial is controlled by a man named Reaver, a cruel, sadistic monster," Walter said.

"And my brother allows this?" she asked softly. Inside she was seething.

Walter gave a nod. While they walked to where the resistance headquarters was located, Annabelle heard a commotion around the corner. Curious, she went closer, Ben, Walter and Major Swift on her heels.

In the square in front of one of the foundries, a man was trying to convince his fellow workers to stand up to their employer, Reaver. While he was shouting, Annabelle heard a tapping sound from the balcony. She glanced up and saw a dark-haired man in a white suit and top hat, tapping a cane against the banister. The man was easily the most beautiful man she'd ever seen, if you could call a man beautiful.

"Reaver," Ben whispered quietly and Annabelle felt a sudden feeling of fright. This man was the monster Walter had described and her father had told her about?

She was just contemplating this, when a he rapped his cane again. The man continued ranting and Annabelle saw Reaver whip out his pistol and took aim, shooting the man in the leg.

"But lying down is so much easier than standing up!" Reaver said. Reaver continued ranting about how he would shoot anyone who complained, took a break for longer than three seconds or break any other one of his rules, punctuating each of his "prizes" with a shot to one of the man's limbs.

Annabelle felt her heart break at this cruelty and she reached for her pistol, but Ben's hand on hers stopped her.

"It's horrible, but if you do anything, you'll only make it worse. We'll help some other way," he said softly. She looked up at the horrible man, but took her hand off her holster, knowing that Ben was right.

After Reaver's display, the crowed ran away in fright. Annabelle figured that if she couldn't shoot the bastard, she could at least help the man lying in his own blood and hurried to his side.

"Please…make it…s-s-stop. Make…the…p-p-pain go…away. K-k-kill…me," he whispered hoarsely. Annabelle assessed his wounds and saw that there was nothing she could do for him.

"May you find peace in death's embrace," she whispered sadly and quickly snapped his neck. "That bastard has to die," she spat out, shooting a look at the balcony. To her horror, she saw that Reaver was looking right at her, a lewd smile on his face and an evil glint in his eyes. She felt dirty and scared, but she couldn't tear her gaze away, no matter how hard she tried.

She was pulled out of her trance by a calloused hand tugging on her arm. "Come on, Princess," Ben said tenderly and helped her to her feet. She turned around for one last look at Reaver, but he was already gone. "We'll get him, don't worry," he added quietly.

As touched as she was by his concern, she couldn't understand why he was being **nice** to her. "Why…why are you being nice to me?" she asked suspiciously as they started walking to the hideout. The look he gave her was slightly amused.

"Because you're a Princess. I need to help the damsel in distress, it's in my character description." The corner of his mouth tilted up in a grin. "Besides, I'm not the bad guy that you think I am."

"Damsel in distress?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously at the blond captain. "What the hell are you talking about?" _How dare he!_

"Whoa, calm down, Princess! I didn't mean anything by it!" Ben laughed, throwing up his hands in defence. "All I meant was is that I could see that you were upset and I wanted to help you."

"Oh." She couldn't help but feel embarrassed by her outburst. _What is it about this man that makes me angry so easily and irrationally? _She'd never been quick to snap and nothing ever got under her skin. She had always been the shy and gentle Princess of Albion. _Did I really change that much?_

_No. It's just this infuriating man that is driving me insane,_ she decided. _I may be more frigid, but the girl that I was is still somewhere deep inside. Maybe someday…when all of this is over…she might come back. _

She glanced up from her thoughts and caught Ben looking at her, his eyes twinkling with mirth and that lopsided grin on his face. With a start, she jerked her gaze away, feeling the heat of a blush creep up her neck and she felt a strange tug in her chest. _By the Light, what is wrong with me?_

They made their way to the river, while Ben tried to cheer her up with jokes, which, admittedly, were very bad, but did succeed in making her smile, however small. Finally, they reached a door that led to the sewers.

"Sewers, lovely. Just so you know, Princess, I'd rethink the company you kept if I were you," Ben remarked sarcastically.

"Ben, I think it's best that you and I wait here while Walter and Annabelle go meet with the resistance. I can't imagine that they would be very receptive of soldiers in their hideout, without them knowing our allegiance," Major Swift interrupted.

Annabelle and Walter nodded in agreement and Annabelle was grateful that she would get a reprieve from the captain. With the way he'd tried to cheer her up, took notice of her emotional state and his overall cheerful demeanour, he was stirring feelings in her heart, feelings she didn't like. She needed to clear her head. Ben, however, didn't agree.

"Who's going to protect the princess if another hollow man shows up?" he asked with a smile.

Annabelle glared at him for what must have been the tenth time that day. "I'm sure I'll be fine without you, Captain. It's your own ass you should be worried about, what with that smart tongue you have," she retorted. "Am I the only one who's wondered how the hell you managed to become captain?"

Major Swift and Walter burst out laughing at this. "How **did** you become captain, Ben?" Walter asked through his laughter.

"I'd have to say sheer luck, uncanny skill with a rifle and a good relationship with my superior, wouldn't you agree, Swiftie? It did help that I saved your arse in that cave that one time, Walter," Ben countered.

Walter shot him an incredulous look. "Saved my arse? You were passed out cold, boy. Swiftie and I had you drag you into the cave where you spent the better part of the time moaning in pain."

"I was passed out in pain after taking not one, but two bullets for you, or did you conveniently forget that part, Wally?"

"I maintain you took those bullets so that you'd be unconscious while we were stuck in the cave. Not that I blame you. I believe that incident is what caused my strong dislike of confined spaces," Walter replied.

Annabelle regarded the captain with new found, however begrudging, respect. He'd protected Walter after all, a man she saw as her own blood. "How is it you've never told me that story, Walter?" she asked innocently.

"Because all you ever pestered me about was your father's travels and tales about the Heroes of old!" Walter replied, feigning irritation.

Ben gave her a smile. "I'd be happy to tell you, Princess, but I don't want to embarrass Walter even further. I did write it down, but you'll have to read my autobiography for the full story."

"**You** wrote an autobiography?" she asked, raising her eyebrow in disbelief.

"It was only one copy and it was very unedited and confidential. Sadly, I lo-err _forgot_ the pages somewhere in my travels. If I can manage to remember where in Albion I forgot the pages, it would make for a good read, I'm sure," he said wistfully. "It might even change your opinion of me, Princess."

"I doubt that." Suddenly she remembered a couple of loose sheaves of paper she'd picked up in Mourningwood and Brightwall, but hadn't gotten time to read yet. She vaguely remembered a name on the pages. Could this be the autobiography he'd mentioned?

Walter interrupted her thoughts by clearing his throat and saying, "As much as I enjoy recounting past events, we'd better hurry, Annabelle."

She nodded and moved to follow him, but Ben grabbed her arm. "Be careful, Princess. I'll be in the Riveter's Rest if you reconsider my proposal," he said with a smile and she felt the spark she'd felt when they'd met for the first time, noticing that his blue eyes were as clear and beautiful as the sky on a summer's day. With a start, she shut out those thoughts. That settled it, she really needed time to clear her head.

Walter turned bright red with anger, but Ben quickly interrupted him. "It's not what you think, Wally. It's all very innocent."

She shook her head headed into the sewer, Knight close on her heels.


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: Hi, me again! I just want to thank those of you who have stuck with the story up until now. _

_I feel like I need to explain some things. Firstly, I should have mentioned that I'm not rewriting the game exactly. I'm writing a lot of my own scenes and the game will kind of be taking place in the background, but the more important parts will be included. _

_Secondly, Annabelle might come off as a bit inconsistent from here on, but she is in a very special headspace at this time. On the one hand Ben is driving her crazy, but another part of her secretly wants to jump his bones, though she won't admit it to herself. As you've probably guessed, she's just a tad stubborn (Sarcasm hand raised) and won't admit that Ben might not be as bad as she believes. On top of this, she still loves Elliot, so she's not very sane at the moment. _

_This chapter is a bit of a filler and sets the scene for Ben and Annabelle's trip to Silverpines, so it's a bit short. Please, tell me what you think!_

Chapter 6

Ben sat lounging on one of the barstool in the Riveter's Rest, nursing a pint of ale and eagerly waited for Walter and Annabelle to come back. Who was he kidding? He was waiting eagerly for Annabelle to return. Despite all she's said and the way she's acted in the short time he's known her, he was still attracted to her and very much so. What could he do? He's always been attracted to strong-willed women.

He took another sip from his tankard as he mulled over his thoughts. Annabelle was certainly different than any other woman he had ever met. On the one hand she was so removed and distant, but other times, like when he found her in that alcove and when she was concerned about the man that Reaver shot, she was vulnerable, compassionate and human. He wanted to get to know the other side of her, the one that she tried to keep hidden all the time and, attraction aside, he really wanted to be friends with her.

Finally, he saw Walter and Annabelle enter the tavern, looking very upset. "What happened. Wally?" he asked when Walter sat down next to him. The man let out a sigh and took a deep drink from the ale the waitress had just brought him.

"It seems all the things Annabelle's done thus far isn't enough to convince Page that she's truly a Hero or has the peoples' best interests at heart," he said wearily. Ben noticed that Walter was looking, well, old. It seemed that the stress was really taking its toll on the man. "She wants more **proof** before she'll help us."

Ben shot a glance at Annabelle who was sitting on her own, looking out on the street. _She's looking for Elliot_, he realized. "She wants to go to Silverpines to deliver a message of all things," Walter continued.

"Silverpines? The place is crawling with balverines!" Ben exclaimed.

"I know, but try telling **her** that. There's no way I'm letting her go alone, so tomorrow, since she insists on doing a few things in town, we're heading to balverine country."

Ben thought for a moment. Walter was clearly exhausted and he would be of no help in his state. He, on the other hand…

"I'll go with her," Ben volunteered. "Wally, I know you'd prefer to stay here, help the resistance and, let's admit it, get trashed with Swiftie."

Walter looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, you are younger and I'm really not in the mood to go fighting balverines…But if anything happens to her, I'll shoot you."

Ben laughed. "All right, I get it. Don't get the princess killed. Do you want to tell her? If I tell her, she won't believe me."

Walter downed the last of his ale and the two went over to where the princess was sitting.

"Annabelle," Walter said and she looked up. Ben noticed her eyes were filled with a glint of despair. "Ben has offered to accompany you in my place tomorrow."

The despair quickly changed to anger. "There is no way I'm going to Silverpines with **him**," she spat. "Why can't you come, Walter?"

"Because I'm not young enough to do these things anymore. Ben is a crack shot and I trust him to protect you better than I can in a fight. Besides, I warned him against trying anything funny, so don't worry about that."

"I don't need protection! Least of all from **Captain Finn**."

Ben raised his eyebrow. "Come on, Princess. No offence to Wally, but do you really believe he's more capable with a rifle than I am? Besides, I'm eager to show you that I'm not the scoundrel you think I am."

She gave a loud sigh. "Fine, whatever! Be ready to leave at noon and don't be late, Captain" she spat and shot out of her seat. Ben thought he imagined a small smile on her face, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

As he watched her storm down the street, clearly fuming, he couldn't help but wonder if he should be thanking or cursing his stupid impulses.

oOoOoOo

"Who decided that Heroes had to fix everyone's damn problems?" Annabelle groaned, falling backward onto the bed in her rented room. It didn't exactly matter that Knight was the only other living being on the room, but she really needed to vent.

The dog hopped onto the bed and rested its muzzle on her leg, whining quietly. "Oh, boy…except for Walter, you are the only one I have left," she whispered, running her fingers through his soft fur. "I can't believe that today I got sucked into some weird game and that I had to fight cardboard cut-outs." A huge grin split over her face. "And I had to go fetch a book from a cemetery and bring it to two ghosts. But why am I telling you this? You were there." Knight gave a happy yip and snuggled closer to her. "You are the only one that's ever around". She'd never felt so alone before in her life. She missed her father terribly. He would know what to do in this situation.

"Do you think he would approve of what I'm doing, boy?" she asked, still stroking his head. "Do you think he would have done the same thing?"

The dog gave her what seemed to be an appraising look and she had to let out a laugh at the dog's seemingly human behaviour. "And I'm talking to my dog. I really need to get some friends." A low growl was the reply to her words and she gave another laugh. "I'm just kidding, Knight!"

A loud knock sounded at the door and Annabelle sprang to her feet. "Who is it?"

"It's Walter," she heard her mentor's gruff reply. She opened the door to see the old knight looking more tired than usual. _This revolution is really taking its toll on him._

"What's wrong, Walter?"

"Nothing. Why would something be wrong?" he replied, clearly concerned. "The question, actually, is if something wrong with you? Why did you get so upset before when I asked Ben to go with you to Silverpines?

She motioned for him to come inside. "I…I don't like Captain Finn, Walter. I can't stand him. He's infuriating, frustrating, unprofessional, immature, arrogant and cocky," she ranted, not looking him in the eye.

"You do realize that you only used synonyms," Walter remarked, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly is the problem?"

"I don't know! He just…irritates…me," she seethed, sitting down on the bed. "Why do I need to go with him?"

He sat down next to her with a sigh. "It's like I said before. I'm not sure I can protect you like I should, Annabelle. He's younger than me." His eyes became downcast. "I'm afraid something will happen to you if I come with you."

"I'm a Hero, Walter. I can take care of myself. And you," she insisted, taking his hand. "You don't need to worry about that."

"Annabelle, let's be serious. You'll be safer with Ben."

"I don't want to be safer with Ben!" She dropped her head into her hands. "I don't want to be anything with Ben!"

She heard the loud chuckle rumble through his chest. "Oh, Annabelle…what is really the issue?"

"I guess I'm just feeling a tad inadequate and Captain Finn is not making anything easier with his little jibes and cocky remarks," she groaned.

Walter laughed again. "Oh, Anna, I can't believe Ben is upsetting you. Don't pay attention to him!"

"I'm just missing my dad. Ben is just someone I can direct my anger at." she admitted.

Walter gripped her hand tightly and forced her to look him in the eye. "He would be so proud of you, Anna. Don't ever doubt it."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you so much, Walter. I appreciate you being here."

"I wouldn't want to be doing this for any other princess, Anna. You know I think of you as my daughter." Walter straightened up and started towards the door. "Now get some sleep. You're going to need the energy if you're not going to kill Ben tomorrow."

"I can't promise that even if I slept for ten hours. But thank you, Walter. Goodnight," she said with a smile.

"Night, Anna."

oOoOoO

The next day, she walked to the square, her heart heavy in her chest, secretly hoping that Ben would be late. To her dismay, Ben was waiting at the clock tower at noon exactly, annoying smirk plastered on his face. He wasn't wearing his soldier uniform for once, instead trading it for a white shirt, black pants and a pair of boots. The clothes left less to the imagination and she had to chastise herself when she caught herself appreciating his admittedly impressive physique.

Sighing inwardly, she marched over to where he was standing.

"Hello, Princess! Wonderful day, isn't it?" he said when she reached him.

"Good morning, Captain," she said stiffly with a curt nod.

"So are we ready to go? That message is not going to deliver itself," he said in a sing-song voice and started towards the Bowerstone gates.

As they headed toward Millfields, she couldn't help but wish that the day was already over.


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Once again, thanks for all the story alerts and favourites, you guys are awesome! _

_I have no idea how this scene ended up like it did. When I wrote this thing last year, I guess that I was watching too much Star Wars (My Princess/Ben interactions are kind of inspired by Leia/Han interactions in A New Hope). _

_From here on, things really start to heat up between Ben and Annabelle, so tell me what you think! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Fable or the characters or any part of Ben's autobiography._

_Chapter 7_

"Where's the man you need to deliver the message to?" Ben asked Annabelle, who was walking at a breakneck pace.

"Just beyond the village," she answered, not even pausing to turn around.

They've been walking in the forest for what seemed like hours, but luckily they haven't encountered any balverines yet. Unfortunately, nightfall was not far off and Ben had a feeling that their luck was going to take a turn for the worst soon.

"Listen, Princess, unless you fancy getting mauled, we'd better find a place to sleep," he interrupted.

She turned her head around to flash him a scowl. "Didn't I just say the man is just beyond the village? I assumed we were going to stop there," she said and continued marching.

"I'm not a mind reader, Princess. Can you tell me your plans in the future? That way I can at least argue your stupid notions," he muttered sarcastically. He was tired, wet and slightly irritated by this time.

She whirled around and stopped dead in her tracks. "Listen, **Captain**," she spat. "It wasn't my idea for you to come along. **You** volunteered." She pointed a finger at his chest and poked him, releasing a spark of lightning. He really should rethink angering a Hero wearing a magic gauntlet. "If you're going to complain, just head on back to Bowerstone, because I'm not goi-"

He saw a flash of movement behind her and she was cut off when he pressed his hand over her mouth. Her emerald eyes flashed at him angrily and she tore his hand off. "What the hell, Finn?" she exclaimed. "If you're going to be so child-"

"Would you be quiet? There's something behind you!" he hissed. She spun around, her sword drawn, but the movement was already gone.

"You're imagining things, Finn," she said and sheathed her sword.

"I was not imagining it! Your yelling is attracting unwanted attention, Princess," he retorted.

She raised her eyebrow. "My yelling? You're the one who wouldn't stop complaining, Captain."

"You are really somethi-" He stopped when he saw a balverine land right behind Annabelle. "Get down!," he yelled and tackled her to the ground to avoid its claws. He grabbed her shoulders to roll them both out of the way, landing on top of her. _Now, if I could only get rid of the balverine…_he thought slyly when he looked down at Annabelle underneath him.

"Get off, Finn!" she yelled and kicked him off, sending him flying. _Strong-thighed as well_, he couldn't help but muse when he landed flat on his backside. He saw her leap to her feet and charge in, slicing her sword. The balverine darted away and Annabelle groaned in frustration. The beast retaliated and, while she managed to avoid the bulk of the attack, a stray claw caught her on her arm. She let out a pained howl and struck back, but the balverine jumped away again.

Ben scrambled to his feet and pulled out his rifle, took aim and fired, hitting the balverine square in the chest. It wasn't enough to kill it, but the shot caused it to stagger backward and Annabelle took the opportunity to impale it on her sword. The balverine fell dead at her feet, but the forest was filled with the cries of more of them.

"Come on, Princess," he said and grabbed her by the hand to drag her to the village. At first she fought back, but a particular loud howl caused her to let him pull her by her hand. They entered the village with a horde of balverines on their heels. Fortunately, the silver-nitrate torches chased them off almost immediately and Ben and Annabelle fell to the ground, exhausted. Ben noticed he was still holding her hand, but as soon as his eyes darted to their intertwined fingers, she jerked her hand away.

"Well, I hope you're proud of yourself, Finn. You almost got us killed," she said and got to her feet, cradling her injured arm.

Ben couldn't help the incredulous look as he stared at her. "Me? How was it my fault? And have you noticed that I saved your life yet again?"

"Your little stunt almost landed me a claw in the back!"

"My "little stunt" saved your life, Princess!"

She was about to retort when one of the villagers came toward them. "Hello dearies. What can I do for you today?" she asked with a motherly smile.

"Well, I was wondering if you have a room available. We're…" Annabelle started, but Ben interrupted her by putting his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him. He felt her go as stiff as a board and readied himself for a magic attack, but, luckily, it didn't come.

"My girlfriend and I are looking for a place to stay. We've always wanted to see Silverpines," he said, giving Annabelle another squeeze. He caught her glaring at him out of the corner of his eye, but he was enjoying the situation too much to let it end.

"Looks like your girlfriend got attacked by a balverine," the woman noted, studying Annabelle.

He gave Annabelle a quick kiss on the cheek. The look she shot him when he did it, however, conveyed exactly in how much trouble he would be later. "That's my fault. She can handle herself well enough if she's not distracted. Let's just say the balverine interrupted a rather…intimate…moment," he replied with a wink at the woman.

The woman gave a knowing chuckle and Annabelle turned even redder. Whether it was of embarrassment or anger, he wasn't sure, but he was too scared to find out.

"I understand. Let me just go find out where we have room. I'll be right back," she said and left. As soon as the woman was out of earshot, Annabelle threw off his arm and whirled to face him, a furious expression on her face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" she snapped.

"Do you really want her to know who we are?" he retorted.

Her fury didn't diminish in the least. "We could have gone with fellow travellers or brother and sister, but you had to pick the most far-fetched façade!"

He shot her a sly wink. "Is it really so far-fetched, Princess? I've seen the way you look at me," he said flirtingly.

"Screw you, Finn," she hissed.

"You know you want to, Princess," he said in a low, husky tone. Before she could tear his head off or something equally painful, he saw the woman, with a man in tow, return.

"Just play along," he whispered as he ran his hand down her back and rested it lightly on her waist.

"Get. Your. Hand. Off. Me," she gritted through a fake smile.

Ben was really enjoying riling her up. "Come on, Princess. You can't hate me **that** much," he whispered, pulling her closer.

"You have no idea of how much hate I'm capable of, Finn."

The woman was just out of ear-shot and Ben couldn't let this opportunity pass. "Don't kill me," he said quickly and, before she could reply and with absolute disregard for his own safety, he pulled her flush against him and kissed her gently on the mouth.

The kiss was chaste, but it was clear that he caught her by surprise, because she remained frozen for a full minute before she started to pull away. The look in her eye was confusion mixed with blind fury. _Better make the best of this, because she's certainly going to kill me,_ he thought with a smile.

"Don't let me interrupt you two lovebirds. There's a room available in one of the cabins. Just go to the far one on the left. You'll find exactly what you need there," the man said with a knowing wink.

Ben returned it with a smile and pulled Annabelle even closer to him. _Yup. I'm going to die, but what a way to go,_ he thought when he saw her eyes narrow. "Thank you so much."

"No problem. You two are clearly perfect for each other, so don't let each other go," the woman said with another smile. Then she leaned closer to Annabelle. "I can see you're a feisty one, miss. Just be sure not to tire him out too much," Ben heard her whisper and he felt Annabelle go rigid again.

After another round of thank you's and goodbyes, Ben and Annabelle headed to the directed cabin. Ben made sure to keep the hold on her waist loose, lest he lose his arm.

The room was very quaint, but to Ben's great dismay or delight, depending on how he looked at it, it only had a large double bed.

They'd barely closed the door before Annabelle started yelling.

"What the HELL, Finn?" she yelled, throwing down her pack on the floor.

He gave a small shrug. "We needed a room," he said by way of lame explanation.

"And we could have gotten it without you **kissing** me!"

He moved closer to her so that her back was against the wall. Her green orbs were shooting lightning at him.

"Don't tell me that you didn't enjoy that, Princess," he purred quietly, putting his hand against the wall next to her face.

"Finn, get away, or I will kill you," she said, her voice calm, but her eyes clouded with uncertainty.

"Face it, Princess. You are attracted to me." He was now so close to her that he could feel her warm breath on his face and smell that faint scent of wildflowers on her skin and hair.

"I wouldn't be attracted to you if you were the last man in Albion," she spat at him, a tremble creeping into her voice.

Their noses were almost touching by this point and he could just lean forward and capture her blood red lips with his. ""The lady doth protest too much". Why didn't you pull away then?"

"I did!" Her voice rose an octave and Ben could feel her heartbeat pick up.

"After a full minute."

"Finn, I'm warning you..."

"For an ice-princess, you sure do get angry easily," he said teasingly. "Or is it just me?"

He could see that she was close to snapping. "Finn, if you don't move, there is going to be a crater where you used to stand," she threatened quietly.

He dropped his arm and stepped back, wearing a grin. "As you command, Princess."

She moved past him, muttering something that sounded like, "I should have brought Knight along" and "What an infuriating idiot".

"Come on, Princess. Just admit you like me," he teased. She ignored him, but he could see from the way her shoulders tensed that he'd hit a nerve. Ben looked around the room again.

"I'll take the floor," he said and dropped his pack on the ground. Annabelle took a deep, shaky breath.

"We're not children. I'm sure we can share a bed without it being weird. It's large enough," she said and went to clean her arm. The balverine had caught her on her upper arm and he could see she was struggling to clean the wound.

He went over to where the bucket of warm water was sitting, taking the cloth out of her hand. "Let me help. You're only going to open it up further," he said softly and started wiping off the dried blood. He was surprised to see that it was partially healed.

"My Hero abilities include improved healing," she said as an answer to his expression.

"Well, it's going to scar. Do me a favour, don't mention it to Walter," he joked.

She looked at him strangely. "Why?"

He let out a laugh. "Because he's going to kill me when he finds out that you got hurt." He grabbed a fresh bandage from his pack and gently bound her arm. "There we go."

"Thank you," she whispered and he was genuinely shocked.

"Wait, did you just thank me?" he asked carefully.

She turned blood red and looked away. Ben couldn't help but smile like an idiot. "What did you do that made him threaten you with death, multiple times, in fact if you count the time when we met," she asked, washing her face.

_Why isn't she freaking out? Is she trying to prove that I don't affect her?_

"And the time you were unconscious. Oh, nothing. I was just being my charming self. Wally is just overly protective of you and very wary of my intentions," he replied with a laugh.

She dried her face and sat down on the bed. "He's been that way since my father died. You should have seen him the first time Elliot tried to kiss me in front of him…" Her face fell at the mention of Elliot and he could see she was struggling to keep her emotions in check. For once, the Princess looked so young and vulnerable. It hit him again that she was not even twenty, a young woman thrust into a role that was so much bigger than her. Ben tried to think of a way to cheer her up and bury the hatchet.

"Hey, Princess, I'm sorry. I was just having some fun." He sat down next to her.  
>"I want to teach you something I learned from my time as a soldier. Soldiers, banished to some desolate outpost or perhaps just keeping sleep at bay during a cold night's watch will turn to speech as their main form of amusement. Jokes, anecdotes, dubious legends and exaggerated reports of battles none of which the teller has witnessed, are all weaved into a comforting blanket to make one miss home a little less, and make the time between battles pass a little faster. But no subject elicits a warmer interest or a more genuine narration than the biographical details of one's own life."<p>

"Is this your elaborate way of asking about my childhood?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Um…yes?"

She gave him a genuine smile, the first ever. "I'll make you a deal. You tell me about your childhood and I'll tell you about mine."

"That may take a while, Princess. Do you really want to spend the whole night listening to my story?"

She looked to the floor. "I'm…I'm not too fond of sleeping in strange beds," she muttered and bit her lower lip.

Ben burst out laughing. "I'm sure Wally will be happy to hear that! All right, Princess, you have a deal. Bring that plate of food here and I'll tell you one of the tales from **The Life and Adventures of Benjamin Finn**."

"That being the name of your autobiography, I take it?" she said and brought the platter of food, which their hostess had been so kind to provide for them, to the bed. She sat down crossed legged on the bed and looked at him expectantly.

He started to feel embarrassed at her scrutiny. What if she didn't like the story or, Avo help him, feels _sorry_ for him. "You can still back out, Princess," he offered playfully, but she shook her head. He took a breath and started his tale, a well-rehearsed telling he'd told so many times before to the soldiers in his brigade.


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Thanks so much for the reviews, favourites and story alerts! You guys are absolutely amazing!_

_Chapter 8_

Annabelle listened intently as Ben told her about growing up in Gunk with his three brothers. It wasn't hard imagining him as a tousled haired boy with a torn pair of trousers, telling jokes and practicing shooting with his pellet gun. She would never admit it, but he was the most talented sharpshooter she'd ever seen. It may even be possible that he has the blood of a Hero of Skill.

She couldn't help but marvel in his wonderful storytelling. He talked so easily and his charismatic voice was enthralling. She was almost about to forgive him for being a complete idiot. _Aren't you actually mad at yourself for flushing at his touch and actually enjoying it a bit?_ a small voice asked.

Yes, she'd been angry when he put his arm around her and kissed her. She'd wanted to explode. However, she was actually angrier with herself for feeling something when he touched her. A part of her wished that their cover was real and that her really cared about her. She couldn't understand how this infuriating man could make her experience so many different emotions over such a short span of time.

She was pulled out of her reverie by Ben's voice. "Princess?" He cocked his head to the side. "Your turn, Princess," he said.

"Oh no, you're not done yet, Captain," she retorted and popped a grape into her mouth, looking at him expectantly.

He faked a sigh, but she saw his blue eyes twinkle with mirth. "All right, but your story will have to be just as good, Princess. He then proceeded to tell her about all how his family members passed away in succession. It was horrible that his family had passed away so soon after her own. She felt slightly embarrassed that she'd judged him so harshly while he'd obviously had a very hard life so far. It was clear that she didn't know him at all.

"Now it really is your turn, Princess," he interrupted her thoughts with a smile.

She was honestly sad to hear that he was done. The disappointment must have shown on her face because Ben's grin grew even wider. "I have many more tales, Princess, but you'll have to wait to hear them. I'm not going to tell you all my secrets in one night," he said with a wink.

"Alright, Captain, but my childhood wasn't nearly as eventful as yours." She thought for a moment and started. "I grew up in Bowerstone Castle, as you probably guessed, with my father, Sparrow, my mother, Liana and my brother, Logan. I loved my family and worshiped my father and brother. My mother was a commoner, but my father loved her and married her when he became King, despite the objections from his advisors."

"I wasn't the most disciplined princess. I spent my time training with Walter, reenacting the old legends of Heroes with Knight, reading and hiding from Jasper. Jasper used to lock me in my room when the advisors wanted to introduce me to potential suitors, but I'd climb out the window by the vines and spend the day in the market. My mother used to joke that I would find my way out of any locked room," she said with fond remembrance. "She died from an illness when I was eight."

"It was a typical childhood for a princess, I suppose. After my mother's death, I was groomed to become the lady of the house, much to my dismay. Two years later, my father became ill as well. I felt as if my world was falling apart. My father, my Hero was dying. The night he died, we were all called to his chamber. He looked so thin and weary, but his eyes were still bright. I remember thinking "How could this man, who bested all those other enemies, die of something as simple as an illness?""

"After my father died, seventeen year-old Logan became king. I know it's hard to believe, but he wasn't always the way he is now. He was a kind and fair ruler. He took to travelling all over Albion to be with his people. However, after my father's death, he became even more protective of me. I was rarely allowed to leave the castle, but that didn't necessarily stop me from sneaking out, and the only friend my age was Elliot. I met Elliot when I was thirteen, at one of the balls at the castle. A boy named Percy was trying to kiss me without my consent and Elliot intervened, exclaiming, "You have insulted this maiden's honor!" and throwing a punch at the other boy. He was never too good in a fight and he missed Percy by a very wide margin and Percy caught him on the lip. I gave him my handkerchief for the busted lip and we became best friends after that. It wasn't until I was sixteen that he professed his love for me. It was kind of unspoken that I would marry him when I turned twenty after that, despite Logan and Walter's objections. Logan even took to becoming more vigilant in the search to find me a suitable husband."

She decided not to tell Ben that she and Elliot used to sneak up to her room for more…amorous…activities after he'd told her that he loved her.

She pursed her lips in thought. "And…that was my childhood. You know the rest of the story." She looked outside and saw pitch darkness. The sun had set hours earlier.

"And did it help, Princess?" Ben asked with a crooked grin and she looked at him curiously.

"What are you talking about, Captain?" she asked.

"Talking about your childhood."

"Oh. Yes…I think it did. And I gained some valuable insight to your character, Captain. It's kind of sad, when you think about it. Two orphans reminiscing about their lost childhood." She shot him an apologetic look. "Not that I think that my childhood is anything like yours," she added quickly.

Ben laughed. "Don't worry about it, Princess. I didn't tell you the tale that you'd feel sorry for me. In fact, I think you've had a worse deal than I had."

She frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"Scoundrels that they were, at least my brothers are dead or missing. I don't know if I would have been able to handle leading a rebellion to overthrow my brother's rule. No matter how criminal they were or what they did, I loved them and I know you love Logan. I wouldn't have the strength to do what you're doing."

"You find the strength somewhere, mostly from your allies," she replied. "I…I wanted to say, as much as it pains me to admit it, that you were right."

"You're going to have to be more specific, Princess."

She felt herself blush. What was it about this man that made her blush so much? "When you said that I can't do everything on my own. I…I realize now that I need others to…succeed."

Ben placed his hand on hers, sending another shock up her arm. "I'm glad I managed to get something into that thick, though admittedly beautiful, head of yours." She punched him playfully on the arm before she got to her feet.

"Whatever, Captain. I'm going to go to bed before you ruin my good mood and I want to kill you again." She went behind the screen in the corner of the room to change into her nightgown, happy that she packed the two-piece that covered more of her. While she dressed she could hear the faint lapping of water as Ben used the wash basin.

She waited a few moments, giving him time to finish. However, when she exited, Ben was in a different pair of pants, but hadn't put on a shirt again and was fixing his hair in front of the mirror Seeing as she hadn't had another opportunity to do so, she studied him intently, quite sure that he couldn't see her. _I don't know him at all. I really should just make sure that he's capable enough to deal with this revolution,_ she reasoned, but is sounded forced even to her.

His blond fringe was perpetually falling into his eyes, a small thing that had made her want to reach out and push it back. His blue eyes were staring intently at his reflection, twinkling playfully even while he was busy with such a menial action. She knew that the loose-fitting pants hid muscular legs and very well-defined…hindquarters…, since she'd accidently caught herself staring at it earlier in the day when they'd just set out. She silently cursed him for wearing normal clothes and not his uniform, which had left more to the imagination. Her gaze shifted to his chest and she inhaled sharply when she saw the way the muscles rippled under the skin of his torso. She imagined running her fingers over those defined abs, almost feeling the way his strong arms would wrap around her, holding her close…

With a silent gasp, she ducked back behind the screen, her heart pounding in her chest. _By Avo's grace, he's gorgeous!_ she thought. _Stop it! Get yourself in control, Annabelle! He's trying to enthrall you with his impressive physique and tragic story and his….his…ARGH!_ She waited a few minutes more before she came out again, trying to look nonchalant. Thankfully, he was fully dressed this time.

She hopped onto the one side of the bed, facing away from the middle and avoiding his eyes. There was no telling what she would do if she should meet his piercing gaze. She felt the mattress give in when he climbed in on the other side. "Night, Captain," she whispered and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

She was almost certain she was dreaming when she heard his reply. "Night, Annabelle."

oOoOoOo

_Their footsteps left deep impressions in the thick white snow that covered the palace grounds. Annabelle let out a shriek as a heap of snow ran down her back and she whirled around to face her attacker, her own snowball hidden behind her back. Laughing brown eyes met her own green ones and she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist._

"_You'd better be more around your surroundings if you want to avoid my wrath, Annie," Elliot whispered, pulling her close._

"_You have no "wrath", El. And I think you better take your own advice!" She let out a laugh as she crushed the snowball against his head, darting away as he spluttered through the mass of white slush dripping down his face._

"_You'll pay for that," he growled playfully and lunged at her, tackling her to the ground. He managed to turn them around so that he took the bulk of the fall and they fell in a heap of tangled limbs, both laughing out of control. When she finally opened her eyes, however, she wasn't looking into liquid brown, but rather electric blue. "You alright, Princess?" Ben smirked and his calloused hand moved to cup her face, his thumb trailing over her lower lip._

"_Ben." His name barely left her lips before his hand moved to the back of her head, pulling her down so that their lips almost touched. "Just say the word and I'll leave you alone," he whispered and she could smell the gunpowder and wood smoke lingering on his skin. _

"_Did I say anything?" she heard herself reply and his smirk widened before he closed the gap between them. His lips were insistent as they moved to part hers, sweeping his intoxicating tongue into her mouth and she couldn't help the low moan that escaped her throat._

_Ben pulled away and trailed his lips across her jaw. "Is this what you want, Annabelle?" his breath whispered hotly in her ear. "Yes," she breathed and she felt his hand slip under her shirt, his fingers trailing over her skin, moving higher to her bra…_

Annabelle suddenly jerked awake, gasping for air. The feeling of his skilled hands on her skin and the taste of him still lingered. _How could I dream something like that?_ she thought as she touched her lips where he had kissed her. _No, not him. Some dream version of him._

She settled back onto the bed, trying not to think of her dream, which of course meant that she couldn't think of anything else. It was a memory of about a year ago and she couldn't understand why she would imagine Ben in Elliot's place and why what had been a simple kiss a year ago had turned into something more in her dream.

_I'm simply overtired and over emotional,_ she reasoned and tried to fall back to sleep. _I don't want him. I've never wanted him._ It didn't take long before she slipped into a fitful sleep, none of her other dreams as pleasant as the first.


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: Thank you all so much for all the support! I really appreciate it!_

_Chapter 9_

Ben dreamed of the day that Quentin died that night. He was jerked awake the next morning by sunlight streaming into the room. While he struggled to find his bearings, he noticed a comforting weight next to him. Confused, he looked down and saw that Annabelle was tangled in his arms, nestling her head in the crook of his neck and whimpering quietly.

_She must be having nightmare,_ he thought and pulled her closer, stroking her hair. She ceased her muttering immediately and let out a contented sigh. He noticed that despite her strong muscles, she was soft and slight.

Suddenly, he remembered the reason they were in Silverpines and he carefully tried to remove his arms without waking Annabelle. Unfortunately, he wasn't careful enough.

She sat up with a start, causing her head to collide with his chin and, in turn, caused him to bite his tongue. "Ow!" he cried, tasting blood. She shot him an angry scowl and hurriedly climbed out of the bed.

"What do you think you're doing, Finn?" she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you really think you can touch me without my permission?"

Ben sat up and eyed her warily. "Hey, I was asleep. You're the one who was having a nightmare. I didn't do it on purpose, Princess."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you were asleep, how did you know I was having a nightmare?"

He threw up his arms in frustration. "Damn it, Princess! Are you so full of yourself that **all** you think I'm interested in is **sleeping** with **you**? I know you think you're such a catch, but believe me, ice princesses aren't my type. What man would want to sleep with a woman who was as cold as the Mistpeak Mountains?"

"If I'm so undesirable, why do you keep flirting with me?" she asked angrily, but he imagined the hint of a flush in her neck.

"Because that's what I do with all women! You're not as special as you believe, Princess," he retorted. What was it about this woman that made him snap so easily? Usually he was more collected and in control, but around Annabelle, though he enjoyed making her angry, he couldn't help but snap involuntarily at her.

She whirled around to the screen to change into her merc clothes again, her face blazing. He shook his head and changed into his breeches and linen shirt. When she finally emerged, he noticed that her clothes were a different colour.

"Do you have more than one outfit in different colours?" he asked sarcastically.

"No I don't," she snapped. "Jasper dyed and fixed them from me since they were torn yesterday."

He was confused for a moment. "Wait. You mention this Jasper all the time, but I haven't met him even once. Who is he? And where is he that you're clothes are fixed today?"

She sighed and took a chain out of her shirt. On it dangled a small token. "This is the guild seal. It allows me contact Jasper at any time and to go a place called the sanctuary, where Jasper stays. There, I keep my clothes, weapons, gold and all the other things that wouldn't fit in my pack."

"Oh. That's…amazing," he replied, sarcasm lacing his tone. He couldn't think of another way to describe a magical storage room.

"Whatever. Let's just deliver the message so we can get back to Bowerstone. This forest is bugging me more than you," she replied and headed for the door, her weapons already fastened to her back. Ben hurried after her and still he wondered what the hell was wrong with him for being attracted to a woman that didn't want anything to do with him.

oOo

After delivering the message, they reached Bowerstone late the same morning. "What did you plan to do next?" Ben asked as they walked to the Riveter's Rest.

"After my bath, a warm meal and a few hours of sleep?" she asked, her green eyes twinkling. Ben didn't know why, but after they left the forest, she'd become more cheerful. _Maybe her attitude had to do with dark, dank forests,_ he mused. After all, she'd been civil to him Bowerstone and the only time she was openly hostile was in Mourningwood and Silverpines.

"Of course," Ben said matter-of-factly.

"Well, I heard rumours of a Nigel Ferret who was abducting people. I want to check it out later," she replied.

The name sounded familiar. He thought for a moment and suddenly he remembered that Ferret was the man that they were selling their contraband to when he was involved in that smuggling ring. "The big crime boss? Are you sure you want to poke that particular hornet's nest, Princess," he asked carefully, scared that he might anger her again.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Finn. If you aren't convinced that I can handle myself by now, you are either not as observant as you claim to be, or an idiot."

"And let me guess. You're leaning toward the latter, right?" he asked sarcastically, quirking his eyebrow.

She shot him a tiny smile that made his heart skip a beat. "Only sometimes," she replied and entered the tavern. They were greeted by the very drunk pair of Walter and Swift.

"Ben! Annabelle! You didn't die!" Swift called out merrily, hoisting his almost empty tankard into the air. Knight, who had stayed behind with Walter, perked his ears and rushed to his mistress and started licking her face energetically.

"Whoa, boy! I missed you, too," she laughed wrapping her arms around his neck. _If only she was as nice to everyone as she is with that dog,_ Ben couldn't help but muse.

"What a mess that would have been!" Walter cried and they both started laughing uncontrollably. Annabelle finally got Knight to calm down and sat down at their table, ordering a drink for the two of them. Ben plopped down on the seat next to her and tried explaining what happened in Silverpines, but he doubted that they were actually listening. He gave up when they started singing some jovial tune.

"At least you tried. We can try again tomorrow when they're more sober," Annabelle remarked and got to her feet. "

Where are you going, Princess?" he asked.

"To go take my aforementioned bath, Captain. Not to sound insulting, but I think you should too," she shot over her shoulder as she walked to her room upstairs, Knight yapping at her heels. Taking her advice, he went to his own room for a quick wash. After a warm bath and donning a clean set of clothes, he went back downstairs where he found Annabelle sitting in one of the booths, reading a piece of paper.

"What are you reading, Princess?" he asked and sat down across from her. He noticed she was wearing her mercenary clothes and wondered if she was going out soon. She started when he spoke and tried to hide the paper, but he grabbed it out of her hand. He looked down at the first page of his autobiography.

"Where on earth did you find this?" he asked incredulously. "In Mourningwood, I think. It must have slipped into my journal, because when I wanted to write in it, this fell out," she answered, tingeing a slight pink.

"Oh, well, here's hoping you don't find the others. I would only be embarrassed if you read them," he joked.

"It's actually quite good. At the risk of inflating your already enlarged ego, I didn't tell you this last night, but you are a very good storyteller, Captain. I'm impressed."

He laughed. "I didn't think that possible!"

"Inflating your ego or impressing me?" she remarked dryly. She was back to her haughty self. _Good job, Ben! Just when you were starting to make some headway, you screw it up,_ he reprimanded himself.

He tried to salvage the situation. "Both actually. Are you going out soon?" he asked, tilting his head at her merc clothes.

She nodded. "I'm going to do some scouting. I'll see you later," she replied curtly and got to her feet. Knight, who was lying at her feet perked his ears at his mistress's tone and sat upright, as if to see what was upsetting her. When he recognized Ben, however, he wagged his tail happily and trotted over to him.

"Hello to you too, Knight! How are you, boy?" Ben laughed, trying to dodge the dog's tongue. He glanced up at the princess to see her rolling her eyes and muttering under her breath.

"And now he's charming the socks of my dog," he barely heard her say and the corner of Ben's mouth quirked into a lopsided grin.

"I can't help it if he has good taste in people, Princess."

"Shut up, Finn. Knight, let's go." Knight looked crestfallen and let out a whine, resting his muzzle on Ben's leg. Annabelle, however, wasn't swayed in the least. "You know that look doesn't work on me. Now come on."

The border collie let out another sigh and marched after his mistress. "Really, boy. You are more human that some people I know," he heard Annabelle say as she stroked the dog's head and Ben could help but feel a pang of victory. _At least I got the dog to like me. Now I just have to get his mistress to not want to bite my head of every few seconds._

They spent the next few days doing menial tasks around Bowerstone and gathering information about Reaver and Logan's plans. Ben tried to go with Annabelle on every assignment, but ever since they'd come back from Silverpines, she was subtly avoiding him and insisted that she had to do things alone. He had a strong suspicion what it was about and only doubled his efforts, which caused him to receive more than a few tongue lashings and scathing retorts from her. And even after that, he still wanted her, even more so because she so obviously tried to stay away from him and bit his head off every time he talked to her. He was really starting to think that he might have a problem.

He'd almost admitted defeat when she cornered him in the tavern one afternoon. She was wearing her mercenary outfit and she looked slightly uncomfortable. "I've been approached by a woman whose fiancé was kidnapped," she started, biting her lower lip.

His thoughts brightened almost immediately, but he didn't want to seem too eager. _Bit late for that, don't you think?_ a small voice said, but he shut it up. "And…?" he asked carefully.

"I actually wanted to hear if you wanted to come along. And before you think it's because I actually like you or anything, I figured that two "associates" might scare them into handing him back without any bloodshed," she rushed out.

"Oh, so now I'm the muscle? Good to know, Princess," he said with a smile.

"You're definitely not the brains," she retorted sharply. "Well, it's either you or Walter and Walter is on a reconnaissance mission. I could always wait for him…" she added thoughtfully.

"No, no. I'll come along," he replied quickly. "Right. I'm glad to see you're not wearing your uniform. Soldiers might send them running instead of scaring them and I promised Linda I'd save her fiancé," she continued and started heading for the door.

He stood up from the booth he was sitting in. "Is that why you're wearing your mercenary outfit? At least I'm glad to see it's a female set," he remarked, eyeing the way the shirt exposed her well-defined stomach and chest appreciatively.

"Lest I confuse you about my gender again, right?" she said icily.

His gaze was jerked upward with a start at her voice. "I told you it wasn't abou-" he started but stopped himself. "Let's just go before we shatter this fragile truce of ours." She nodded and led him to the address where Linda said she'd meet them. The woman, who he assumed was Linda, took them to a rundown apartment, where she was told to make the drop off. They were ushered inside quickly where they came face to face with Nigel Ferret.

The kidnappers weren't too happy when Linda told them that she didn't have the money. "Well, I guess you'd better do what you're hired to do!" the man called to his henchmen before retreating deeper into his base.

"Seriously? I'm really getting tired of people attacking me on sight," Annabelle sighed as she unsheathed her sword. "You'd think they'd have learned by now!"

"Oh, come on, Princess, you wouldn't want life to get boring, now would you?" Ben replied as he pulled out his flintlock and shot at one of the approaching henchmen. "And think about all the idiots you're removing from society!" Ben barely managed to crouch in time as Annabelle sent a flourish toward his head. Just as he was about to complain, he saw the severed head of an attacker he didn't see roll over the floor.

"You're welcome and we're even," she said without so much as a glance in his direction and continued on her massacre of men in the basement.

"I have saved you twice now, Princess. We're not even," he replied as he darted back into the fray and covered the princess from behind.

"Shut **up**, Finn," she yelled as she savagely beheaded another man who was stupid enough to creep up behind her. Ben seriously hoped she was not imagining killing him like that as he watched her go after another with more anger than needed. _Maybe it's a good thing she kills on a daily basis. It lets her vent and it means that I get to keep my head intact,_ he though gratefully.

The remaining men were no match for a captain, a Hero and a slightly too bloodthirsty border collie and soon the floor was littered with corpses.

"Great. I got blood on my shirt," Annabelle complained as she wiped the blood off her sword with one of the dead men's sleeves. "Jasper is going to kill me."

"You really are one strange girl," Ben remarked wryly as he banged on the door that had Ferret escaped into. "Hey! Ferret! Your men are dead! Open up if you don't want the same to happen to you!"

After a few more stuttered apologies from the weasel, the metal door finally swung open and they chased Ferret into his backroom. He muttered something like he was sorry and that their "charge" was in a nearby "facility". If Linda wasn't holding a pistol at the man's forehead, Ben might have shot him himself. Ferret's eloquence was really starting to annoy him.

"I take it that's our cue, Finn. I know how you feel about sewers, but try to get over it for now," Annabelle said and went to the ledge, but he grabbed her arm. She looked at him with an expression of mixed disbelief and anger.

"Don't hit me, but let me go first. If anything, my hard head ought to prove useful should that pool only be three feet deep," he interrupted and dove in before she could object.

The water wasn't too dirty or shallow, something which Ben was thankful for. When he surfaced, he was met with a boy of about Annabelle's age sitting on the bank of the little dam. He had brown hair, brown eyes and a noble air about him and Ben had to stop himself from scoffing. From what he was wearing, he wasn't surprised that he'd been kidnapped. His outfit clearly said "I have money".

"Who are you? You don't look like one of my captors," the man asked guardedly.

"Calm down. The name's Ben. Linda asked me and my friend, who should be down any moment to come rescue you," Ben replied and started swimming to the shore. The boy's expression changed to one of relief.

"Oh. Well, thank you. My name is-" He was cut off by the twin splashes from Annabelle and Knight entering the water.

When she surfaced, she shot Ben a grimace. "Next time you're feeling chivalrous, Finn, tell me so that I can hit you before you do something stupid or run away," she said dryly and looked to the man they'd been sent to save. He saw all colour fade from her face and he could barely hear her when she finally spoke.

"Elliot."


	10. Chapter 10

_AN: I have to start out by saying thank you SO much for all the alerts, favourites and reviews! They make my heart go super wheee! _

_Just a warning for all you Elliot-lovers reading this, I'm not too fond of the guy. I mean, he gets __**engaged**__ to another woman after the princess kills a bunch of villagers to save him. Come on! I have to admit that I got a lot of satisfaction out of writing this chapter. I've also wondered how Ben would feel about Elliot, princess infatuation or no. So, yeah, I hope you enjoy and tell me what you think!_

_Chapter 10_

"Elliot," Annabelle whispered softly. Of all the places, in all the ways she could imagine finding Elliot, this was not one of them. Except for the fine layer of dirt covering his face, he looked exactly as she remembered him.

"Annabelle," he breathed and rushed to the water. She met him in a wet and tight embrace, almost too stunned to move. "Annie, I thought I'd lost you," he mumbled into her ear. He pulled away to look her in her eyes and he could see that his eyes were filled with conflicted emotions.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this **touching** moment, I'd prefer not to stay in a sewer longer than necessary," Ben interrupted dryly. To her great annoyance, Knight was already at his heels. _Really? Why did he have to take a liking to the only person I can't stand?_ For some reason, her dog had never liked Elliot much.

She shot Ben a scowl, which he returned with a shrug. "Elliot, I take it you met Captain Finn. He's a captain in the Royal Albion army."

"Now I know how I know you. You're on wanted posters all over Industrial," Elliot said as he helped Annabelle out of the water.

"Yes, coward and traitor, wanted for treason, all that nonsense. I saw the poster," he said flippantly, stroking the dog's head. "It's funny, you spent a good five years of your life in the army, being completely loyal to the crown, but you get branded a traitor the moment they realize you were in the old guard."

"What are you doing with him, Annie?" Elliot asked, shooting a pointed look at Ben and she saw Ben smirk. She didn't like were this was going.

"Captain Finn is part of the brigade I recruited in Mourningwood, under the leadership of Major Swift."

"Oh." His face told her that he was still wary of the captain. _Well, so am I,_ she thought. With a shock Annabelle remembered why they were there. "We'd…we'd better get back to Linda!" she said, trying to sound cheerful. From their expressions neither one of the men believed her, but she started walking anyway.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ben inspecting Elliot. "Stop it, Finn," she growled softly.

"What, Princess? I was just assessing whether our charge was injured," he replied, that lopsided grin on his face. Clearly, Elliot was everything he'd imagined. "My initial assessment proved correct in this regard."

"Shut up, Finn." She purposefully walked faster to stay away from him. She was starting to experience that initial irritation again and was afraid that she might hit him. She marched for a while, her heart suffered in turmoil. She found Elliot at last, but he was **engaged**. He hadn't waited for her. She could feel tears pooling in her eyes as a part of her she'd locked away resurfaced. How could he do that to her?

"Hey, Annie, can I talk to you?" Elliot asked softly. She gave a curt nod, not trusting her voice not to break.

"That day in the throne room…I don't know what to tell you. I begged you to choose me, to let me die, but you didn't. I…I hated you for letting me live. But there was another part that was **happy** that I was alive. I tried so hard to forget you. I started helping out at the orphanage. That's where I met Linda. She built that orphanage up from nothing. She's the - well, the second most amazing woman I've ever met."

"And now you're engaged," she stated, looking ahead on the path, drowning her sorrows with her footsteps. She knew if she met his eyes, nothing would be able to stop her tears from falling.

"Yes. But, now you're back and all I've done to forget you proved useless. I thought I got my life on track, but then you walk back into my life. I still love you, Annie," he said and pulled her to a stop. His gently stroked her hand as he struggled to meet her gaze. "You're just as perfect, sweet and beautiful as I remember you," he whispered. Annabelle heard Ben let out a snort when he said sweet, but ignored him. She noticed they were close to the exit.

"Almost out of here. Almost back to…Linda," she forced cheerfully and continued walking, praying for any kind of enemy to attack them so that the awkwardness could end.

"About that. Listen, Annabelle. I love Linda, but not the way I love you. I don't know…what should I do? Do I dump Linda to get back together with you, or do I stay with her? I don't know…what do you think?" he asked, looking her right in the eye. She noticed she'd grown a bit taller, since she'd always looked up at Elliot, but now she could look him straight in the eye and she could see him struggling with a choice.

She still loved Elliot. She'd put herself through hell because she'd sentenced those villagers to death to save him. She'd buried herself away to keep her heart from breaking again, and to keep it safe at the same time. Safe for him. And here he was, engaged, asking **her** to choose for him. He couldn't even decide for himself. But then again, he'd always been that way. She thought about those things Walter and Logan had told her. He was indecisive and weak-willed. Maybe it was because she'd seen more of the outside world and met so many people who would die for their convictions. For the first time she saw Elliot for the man, no, boy, he really was.

"Are you honestly asking me to choose for you?" she spat. "It's been four months, Elliot. Four months and you're engaged! I spent nights lying awake, seeing those villagers pleading faces in front of me as I watched them **die** because I chose you! I chose you because I loved you and I was too selfish to let you die!"

Elliot looked taken aback and she realised that she had never raised her voice at him, but it was as if a flood of pent up emotion came pouring out at once. "I needed you, Elliot. Do you know what I feel every moment of every day? Doubt in my ability to lead a revolution. Fear in the knowledge that anyone of my allies could be captured and killed at any moment. Love for my brother, who I might up killing because he'd destroyed my Albion. Do you know what it's like to feel as if your heart is breaking because you are amassing an army to overthrow your **brother**, a man that protected you from birth? I'll never forgive him for the choice I had to make, but I still love him! Like I still love you even though I thought about having you die! I needed you to believe in me! I needed you to wait for me! Now you're asking me to choose for you? I can't do that, Elliot. You made your choice the day you asked Linda to marry you."

She felt the hot tears cascading over her cheeks and looked away. Elliot moved closer, but Ben stopped him. "Get out of the way, **captain**," Elliot spat as he tried to get around him. Knight crouched down next to Ben and bared his teeth, growling viciously. _Why did this have to happen? I love him, but why can't I forgive him for this?_

"You've done enough to upset her," Ben replied calmly. When she stood there, through the haze of tears, she realized what had gone wrong. She had grown up out of their little fantasy world that nobility offered, but Elliot hadn't. He was still the same boy he'd always been and when he stood next to Ben, she saw the difference between a man and a boy clearly. Elliot had gotten engaged because he'd wanted to forget her. He didn't believe in her, but now, he wanted her back. Ben was sure of the choices he'd made and stood by them, thought it might be easier to change his mind and he might up dying for choosing to fight with her. He might infuriate her, but she was never unsure of his loyalty toward her.

Elliot looked between her and Ben. "Oh I get it. I can't believe you're angry with me because I'm engaged to Linda, but, meanwhile, you're sleeping with your captain!" he exclaimed.

She felt her blood boil with anger. He was accusing her of _sleeping_ with Ben Finn, a man she'd just recently developed a rather fragile truce with? Where the hell did that come from?

"I am not sleeping with Benjamin Finn," she retorted. "Damn it, Elliot, if you haven't noticed, we're hardly on a first name basis!"

"Well, I'm not sure about you, but I do it just to annoy you," Ben interjected, his furious gaze not leaving Elliot's face.

"You're not helping, Captain!" she exclaimed and he gave her another shrug.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but he insists on being a bigger buffoon than I usually am. I didn't think that possible," Ben replied.

She whirled around to look at him in anger. ""Sweetheart"!" she snapped. She was about to say something more, but Elliot interrupted her.

"Sorry to cut in, but explain this then, Annabelle. Why are you travelling with him instead of Walter? Why is he down here and why hasn't he taken his eyes off you for one second?" Elliot shouted.

Annabelle reeled back at his words. _Ben hadn't done __**what**__?_ She shoved that thought out of her head. "Don't you dare be jealous, Elliot! There is nothing between me and Captain Finn! We can barely be called friends at this stage! As for why I'm travelling with him, if you haven't heard, I'm heading a revolution, for Avo's sake!"

"I'm not jealous, least of all of some pompous soldier," Elliot retorted. She turned away to take a deep breath, but Elliot, who'd gotten around Ben some way, grabbed her roughly by the arm. "Don't turn away when I'm talking to you!" he yelled. Her faithful hound let out a threatening bark, but she quieted him with a small wave of her hand. She built up the will in her shock gauntlet to force him to let go of her, but Ben beat her to it. A huge crack resounded through the sewer when Ben's fist connected with Elliot's cheek and he was sent flying into a wall.

"Touch her again and I'll do more that bruise that face of yours, Pretty Boy," Ben growled. "I'm already a wanted man and don't mind adding maiming to my list of crimes."

Annabelle looked at him in shock. When had he become so protective of her? "Finn, what in Albion is your problem?" she cried.

"Sorry, Princess," he grumbled while massaging his knuckles.

Elliot looked at Annabelle through a rapidly swelling eye. "Try to tell me again that there's nothing between the two of you," he said hoarsely. "Tell me again that you're not sleeping with him."

Ben moved to hit him again, but Annabelle stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. She knelt next to Elliot and grabbed him by his collar. "I am not sleeping with Captain Finn and there is nothing between us. I don't ever want to see you again, Elliot," she said quietly and removed the silver ring she wore around her neck. It was a ring he'd given her the night he told her that he loved her. "Here." She dropped the ring in his hand and stood up. "Now you're nothing but a memory to me. I want to remember you as you were, not the bastard you've become. I hope you and Linda are happy," she said curtly and went to the door. "Oh and Elliot, I think it would be best to tell Linda that Ferret gave you that black eye, lest she realizes what a wimp you actually are."

She opened the steel door and marched through the apartment into the fading sunlight, her heart feeling free for the first time in months.

oOo

It wasn't until she reached the dilapidated park that she realized that she'd just told off the man she'd loved since childhood and she felt tears forming in her eyes. She looked around and was both glad and disappointed to see Ben was nowhere to be found.

She went to sit on one of the old swings and Knight rested his head on her leg, whining softly. Thankfully, she was the only person in the park. She bent over and buried her face in her dog's fur, crying harder than she'd ever cried in her life. The tears weren't only about Elliot, but about everything she's lost in the past few months and about the things she was sure to lose in the future.

Annabelle was so absorbed in her sobs that she didn't notice another presence until a pair of strong arms wrapped around her and pulled into a tight embrace. "Shh, Bells, it's okay. It'll be alright," she heard Ben whisper into her ear. "It's okay."

She clutched him as sobs shook her body for what seemed like forever, thankful for his warmth. Eventually, she didn't have any tears left and she said the only thing she could think of. "You didn't call me Princess."

She felt his chest rumble with a quiet chuckle. "I guess I didn't," he said softly. "Are you upset that I didn't?"

"No," she whispered. "I liked it."

He pulled away and cupped her chin so that she looked him right in his beautiful blue eyes. "I told you I did it only to annoy you," he said and his face melted into a tender grin. "Just like you call me Captain and Finn to annoy me."

"How could he expect that of me, Ben? How could he ask me to choose for him?"

His eyes clouded over with anger. "The only thing he should have asked was if you would take him back and if you said no, he should have begged," he said simply and wiped a tear of her cheek.

She buried her face in his chest again. "You were all right about him. Walter, Logan and even you."

"You're too good for him, Bells. Don't ever doubt that. He must be insane to try to forget you and to lose faith that you'd come back, because that's what he did," he said and wrapped his arms around her again.

Annabelle had never been more confused in her life. For the past few days she'd been trying to convince herself that she felt nothing for Ben. She was afraid of what she'd felt when she woke up in his arms and of what she'd been feeling ever since, since she felt as if she was betraying Elliot by thinking of another man. Her dream was also ever present in her mind. Ever since they'd arrived in Bowerstone, she would catch herself thinking about him or staring at him when he wasn't looking. But now that she was free, she was even more scared of her feelings.

She couldn't let herself fall for Ben Finn, but no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that he was a good-for-nothing scoundrel, he proved her wrong at every turn. She thought he would give up if she didn't fall for his obvious charms, but he didn't. The harder she pushed him away, the faster he came running back. She'd been a bitch that entire week, but there he was comforting and holding her as if she mattered to him. As if she was special. _Am I just a challenge for you to bed, Ben Finn, or am I something more?_

She didn't know how long she sat there in his arms, but when she finally pulled away, the first stars were already shining in the dusky sky. "Walter is going to kill me," she said, with a slight smile.

"Oh no, Princess, he's going to kill **me**. Come on, let's get you back to the tavern and hope he's passed out. You've had a long day," he said with a smile and took her by the hand, helping her to her feet.

"Ben?" she said quietly and he looked at her earnestly. "Thank you, for coming with me."

"And for punching that sorry arse, of course. Though I imagine you wanted that honour," he added with a wink. Knight let out a loud bark and Ben gave a wry grin. "Or your dog did."

"Yes we both did. I don't know if I'll be able to forgive you for that," she joked as she ruffled the dog's ears. "Or if he will."

He gave a shrug. "What can I say? I was the muscle after all."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on or you're going to need that muscle if Walter's conscious," she retorted, rolling her eyes. They made their way to the Riveter's Rest and for a moment Annabelle let herself believe that everything would work out just fine.


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: Thank you THIS much for all the positive responses to the story so far! This is way overdue, but a special thanks to __**Fallon-Idalia**__, __**TheSilentSiren**__ and __**StupidPyroChan **__for the reviews and all of you that added the story to your favourites and story alerts. I can't tell you how happy they make me! _

_Chapter 11_

"Well, I'm going to bed. Try not to cause **too** much trouble, Captain," Annabelle said with a smile and went up the stairs to her room. Knight paused for a moment to let Ben give him a pat on the head before bounding after his mistress.

"Hey! I never cause trouble…trouble just seems to find me. Night, Princess," Ben called after her and he watched her leave, a foolish grin on his face. His trance was interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind him.

"Infatuated, aren't we, Ben? I thought you would have learned your lesson about these nobles by now," Swiftie said with a quirked eyebrow.

Ben thought of the women he'd fallen in love with since "escaping" from Bloodstone. After he'd joined the army, he managed to shake off the gambling and drinking, but he never could quite shake off his love for women. It always started and ended the same. He was a novelty, a charming soldier who offered an adventure and allurement that their husbands or fiancés didn't. They'd profess their love and promise that they'd leave their husbands for him, but after they finally ended up in bed, they always went back to their normal lives. He was just a common soldier, good enough for a distraction, but not good enough for a lifetime and he'd hated it.

"She's not like that, Swiftie," he insisted. "She's…special. Besides, I'm not infatuated."

Swift raised his eyebrow even higher. "Ben, I know that look of yours. I don't want to see you hurt, my boy."

"It isn't even like that. It was only until a few hours ago that we sort of became friends and even that is touch and go."

"Oh, come on, Ben. You've been daydreaming about her since we left Mourningwood."

Ben felt himself blush. He knew Swift was right, but he thought he'd hidden it. "I…You're right. I've been attracted to her since we met."

Swift smiled at him. "I can see why. She's smart, beautiful, a capable fighter and for some reason, you always chase that which you can't have. In this case, an ice princess, in every literal sense of the words."

"That she is," Ben said thoughtfully.

"Where **did** you disappear to this morning?"

Ben's expression darkened. "We went to help a woman save her fiancé, to help Annabelle prove herself to Page. The woman's fiancé turned out to be Elliot."

Swift looked taken aback. "The boy she saved in the throne room? I thought they were involved. How could he be engaged so soon?"

Ben felt his blood boil again when he recounted that afternoon's events. When Annabelle had recognized Elliot, Ben was crushed. If that was the kind of man she fell in love with, he didn't stand a chance. Even dirty and grimy, Elliot was noble, poised, polished and sophisticated, everything Ben was not. Sure, many women had commented that he was dashing in and out of his uniform and he knew he could charm almost anything out of almost anyone, but he was nothing but a commoner, a scoundrel who was lucky enough not to have been killed yet, like Annabelle had said.

Ben had never thought that he would be envious of a pansy-arsed pretty boy who was stupid enough to get himself kidnapped, but at that moment, when Annabelle had embraced Elliot tightly, fully conscious and her face radiant, he was more jealous than he'd ever been in his life. It was at that moment that he realized she was more than a challenge, more than a woman that he wanted to impress just because she was immune to his charms. Somewhere along the way, he'd fallen in love with her.

He seethed the whole way through the sewer, thinking of ways to convince Annabelle that he was a better choice, but he couldn't even convince himself that he was good enough for her. He'd been rejected so many times because he was just a commoner. How would this end any differently? To add to his doubts, she'd been snapping and yelling at him since they'd met.

Then his luck had turned.

"Yeah, he turned out to be a total arse. He asked her to choose who he should stay with, if you can believe something that ridiculous," Ben said.

Swift looked astonished. "And what did she do?"

"She told him that he'd already made his choice the day he asked that woman to marry him and left," Ben replied. _And went to cry her eyes out,_ he added silently. He was still thinking of ways to maim Elliot for doing that to her.

Swift stroked his moustache thoughtfully. "But not before you hit him, of course. Ben, you really should think before you act."

Ben looked down guiltily. "I couldn't help it. He grabbed her and I reacted before thinking."

When Ben looked up, he was met with a fatherly smile. "Ben, you are who you are because you follow your heart. Just be careful. She might not look it, but she's vulnerable right now. Besides, if I know Walter, he might kill you if you try something in her state," Swift said.

"Or any other state for that matter," Ben laughed. "Don't worry, Swiftie, I don't want to mess this up. I'll be careful."

"Good. Now, where is that waitress…We both could do with a pint, or what do you say?"

oOo

The next afternoon, Annabelle rushed down to the Resistance hideout. Walter had just sent word that she'd finally proved herself to Page and that they were going to commence with their plan. She was in such a hurry that she almost crashed into Major Swift who was exiting from the war room.

"Oh, sorry, Major!" she exclaimed, screeching to a halt.

"My dear, it looks like a pack of balverines are chasing you! What's the matter?" he replied good-naturedly.

"It seems Page is finally ready to go after Reaver. Where are you heading, Major?"

"I'm going to the castle to see what Logan's plans are."

"Is Ben going with you?" she asked carefully.

Swift laughed. "No, he's in there, riling up Page, no doubt. Ben has always had a way with women. A strange and troubled way."

Annabelle joined in his hearty laughter. "That he does. Well, I don't want to keep you. Please, be careful, Major," she said and she meant every word. Even though she'd known him for a very short time, she trusted the Major with her life.

Major Swift's expression turned serious. "And you as well, Annabelle. And I'm not just referring to the revolution."

She was confused. "What do you mean, Major?"

Swift looked uncomfortable for a moment. "Ben's going to kill me..." he muttered to himself. Then he looked at Annabelle. "Ben's like a son to me, you know that, right?"

She nodded guardedly. "Yes, Major. And he thinks of you as his surrogate father."

"Right. What I want to ask you is to be careful with him."

Annabelle reeled back in shock. "What are you talking about, sir? We're barely even friends." She blushed inwardly when she remembered how it felt being comforted in his arms, but quickly chased those thoughts away.

"Ben has a knack for falling for women very easily. I just don't want him to get hurt. I've seen the way he looks at you and I don't want to happen what happened in the past."

"What happened?" she asked carefully.

Swift shook his head. "That's something he needs to tell you himself."

"Fair enough. I promise you, Major, there's nothing between us."

A knowing smile broke over his face. "Of course, Annabelle. Now, I'd better get going."

She was still thoroughly confused, but nodded. "Goodbye, Major," she said courteously and went inside the room. From the outside she could already hear Ben's voice and her face broke into an involuntary smile._ Why am I acting like a love struck fool? I don't like him. I can't stand him,_ she told herself strictly and forced a neutral expression onto her face.

"I'm telling you, I downed three Hollow Men with one shot!" he insisted. "Here she is, you can ask her yourself!" He turned to Annabelle. "Come on, Princess, tell her the story's true!"

She shook her head. "Shut up, Finn," she said and went over to Page. "You called?"

Ben faked a pout and Annabelle had to keep herself from smiling. "Fine. I'll just stand quietly over here."

"You know, for a princess, you're a pretty decent person," Page remarked, pointedly ignoring Ben.

"I knew you two would get along eventually," Walter said with a happy smile.

Page shot him a look. "As much as I appreciate your interest in our social lives, the biggest threat to the people of Bowerstone still remains."

"Reaver," Walter said through gritted teeth. Annabelle felt a chill run through her spine at the mention of the monster's name. She still saw that poor man in front of her.

"Yes, Reaver," Page interjected. "We have a plan to take him out. A small band of fighters managed to get inside his manor, but they never came back."

"And let me guess, you need my help," Annabelle remarked dryly.

Page nodded. "Yes. Every week, Reaver holds a secret society meeting at his manor. We don't know what goes on in there, but we know when it's held and how the guests dress for the party." She handed Annabelle a brown parcel. "You're going to have to wear this," Page continued.

Annabelle tore open the corner of the package and was relieved to see a deep green gown.

"Why so relieved, Princess?" Ben remarked with a smirk.

"Well, since it was Reaver, I was afraid it would be some horridly revealing maid outfit or something worse," she said flippantly.

Ben's grin grew even wider. "I would like to see **that**!"

She rolled her eyes. "Let's just be grateful my worst concern is fighting in high heels and not fighting off lecherous men. Though you've certainly given me enough practice."

"I'm not lecherous!" Ben turned his expectant gaze to Page. "And where's my costume?"

Page shook her head. "**You're **not coming along. I've had enough of you for one day."

"What? You mean I can't come along even after the three hollow men story?" he exclaimed. "This is even worse than the army."

"Now, everyone out. I need to get dressed," Page commanded.

Annabelle saw Ben shoot Page his lopsided grin. "I'll stay to make sure no one spies on you," he added helpfully. Annabelle felt a sudden surge of jealousy at Page at his words. _Where did that come from?_ she thought with a start. _Ben Finn means nothing to me. He's a stupid, childish, sarcastic, handsome, charming…Stop! ARGH!_

"I said, everyone OUT!" Page exclaimed.

Shaking his head, Ben finally turned to follow Annabelle. "I'm starting to have serious doubts about our relationship," he muttered and Annabelle felt that stab of envy again.

"Get dressed and meet me at Reaver's mansion," Page called from behind. "Oh, and Annabelle, make sure Mister Finn doesn't follow you. Like I've said, I've had enough of him for one day."

"I should have gone to the castle with Swiftie," he muttered as they walked to the headquarters' barracks.

"So you could irritate him instead?" Annabelle asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Swiftie doesn't find me irritating, unlike you, sweetheart," Ben replied, shooting her a cheeky grin.

His nickname caused her to stop dead in her tracks. "There it is again. Where did that come from?" she asked, exhaling sharply. Ben halted next to her and fixed her with an amused look.

"What? "Sweetheart"? I thought it fit you after Elliot called you sweet," Ben said with a shrug. "Besides, I got tired of Princess."

"If you got tired of "Princess", why don't you try my **name**, Captain," she snapped.

"I'll use your name the day you start to use mine," Ben countered.

She couldn't stop a huge sigh from escaping her lungs. "Fine,** Ben**. Are you happy now?"

"Nice try. Next time with a little less sarcasm, okay, sweetheart?" he replied coyly, leaning in close. He was so close that she could smell his enticing scent and see the dancing flecks of blue in his eyes. "Maybe one day you'll even sound as if you tolerate me," he whispered.

Try as she might, she couldn't break away from his piercing gaze and neither could she stop the rapid pace at which her heart was beating at his proximity. "Captain Benjamin Finn, I swear if you call me "Sweetheart" again, I-" She was interrupted by sharp footfalls from behind and Ben leapt away from her as if he was burned, his hands thrown up in defence.

"You should get dressed, Annabelle," Walter interrupted and Annabelle barely caught the glare Walter shot in Ben's direction.

"Yeah, didn't you hear the new law? Everyone should have fun but me," Ben grumbled.

Rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time, Annabelle touched the guild seal to go to the sanctuary. "Hello, Jasper!" she called happily to her butler.

"Ah, Princess! Going to a masquerade I hear," Jasper replied. "Where's the dress?"

She went to the dressing room for a quick bath and to change behind the partition. The emerald dress's full skirt fell to the floor and the sleeveless corset was tight with a low, scooping neckline, much more revealing than anything she usually wore. She was thankful for her mask, because she didn't want to be recognized in this dress. Just to be more comfortable should she land in a fight, she pulled on a pair of breeches under the skirt.

"Hmm, though it's certainly more risqué than your usual attire, you look beautiful, Princess," Jasper remarked when she exited from behind the partition.

"Thank you, Jasper," she replied while pinning up her a few of her long curls, letting the majority fall free. She didn't have time or patience for an elaborate hairstyle. With a quick goodbye to Jasper, she returned to the headquarters.

oOo

The minute Annabelle disappeared, Ben felt his throat close up at the open fury that Walter's glare was conveying. Without the princess as a buffer, this wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Ben, I warned you about inappropriate behaviour and yet here you are, openly flirting with her. Do you have a death wish, boy?" Walter sneered, baring his teeth.

Ben threw his hands up in defence once more and tried not to let his fear show on his face. Walter may be old, but he was obviously more vicious than a balverine guarding its cubs when it came to his charge.

"I was just kidding around, Wally. It didn't mean anything," he back peddled, but Walter's fury didn't diminish in the slightest. "Besides, I didn't do anything!"

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't intend to do anything?" the knight sneered.

"Yes! If you haven't noticed, we can hardly stand each other!" Ben replied, thankful for his poker face.

Walter still looked unconvinced. "As for it not meaning anything, that is even worse than if it had meant something. Annabelle is naïve and I don't want to see her get hurt."

An involuntary snort escaped him when Walter called her naïve. "Please, Walter. Annabelle can take care of herself," he replied, rolling his eyes. "Her sharp tongue is enough to chase away even the most idiotic and persistent man."

"And yet **you** still persist," Walter countered and Ben let out a strangled objection.

"Hey! I'm not an idiot!"

Walter's expression turned sorrowful. "She hasn't always been like this. Annabelle used to be the sweetest, most soft-spoken, kindest, compassionate girl I have ever met, if a bit of a tomboy. She has always been independent and stubborn, but when she was little, she would much rather read fictional adventure stories or escape to explore the castle grounds than attend balls or dress up. I…it breaks my heart to see her so cold and distant."

Though slightly uncomfortable by the knight's sudden declaration, he couldn't help but wish that he'd met the princess under different circumstances. He liked her feisty personality, but he still wanted to get to know the softer side of her.

"Ben, did you know that she has only kissed one man in her whole life? That she has only ever been in love once? She is innocent when it comes to these types of things. I doubt she'll realise the difference between harmless flirting and actual adoration."

Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise at these words. _Well, she's kissed two now, but best not let him know that._ "I had no idea…she seems so worldly," he settled for saying. "Besides, like I said, she can't stand me, so you don't need to worry about her confusing what I say for actual adoration."

"Don't push it, Ben. Like I said before, if I catch you doing something like that again, there will be trouble," Walter warned, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I swear that I see you stripped of your rank, kicked out of the army and castrated."

He swallowed loudly and gave nod. "Sure, Wally. Just one quick question, would you be threatening the person if it was anyone but me?"

"Of course, but you are being warned **again** because I actually like you. If it was someone else, they wouldn't have gotten a second warning."

"Now that we've cleared that up, how about a quick game of Feeble. You can't possibly say no to Feeble!" he deflected.

"Shut up, Ben," Walter replied tiredly and walked out the door in a huff. Ben was just about to run after him and insist on something else when a sound from behind startled him. He whirled around and came face to face with the princess in an evening gown.

Ben had seen many beautiful women in his life, but he could literally feel his jaw hitting the ground at the sight of the princess. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She'd pinned a few hairs out of her face, but most of her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders. Carefully applied makeup accentuated her features and the forest green dress hugged each of her curves. She'd never looked more like a princess.

Her response reminded him that he was appreciating her more pronounced assets. "Finn, my eyes are up here," she remarked coldly and he jerked his gaze to her face. Even though she sounded angry, he could see a pleased glint in her emerald eyes. As he looked at her eyes, he noticed faint swirling lines around her temples. He let his gaze travel down her face and arms and was surprised to see even more faint lines.

"Is there a problem, Captain?" she asked, quirking her eyebrow.

"When did you get tattoos?" he replied, trying to sound nonchalant. He really didn't want to feel Walter's wrath.

She looked confused. "I don't have any tattoos."

"I beg to differ. What are those lines on your body?"

Slowly, she seemed to realize what he was talking about turned bright red. "Oh, you weren't meant to see those. I usually keep them covered up."

"I've noticed. Why? What are they?" he asked, interested. He'd never seen anything like it.

"They're will lines. I get them from using magic," she replied, embarrassed. "I usually hide them because I'm…ashamed…of them, though it's a bit difficult when I actually use magic."

"What do you mean?"

She gave a small sigh. "Let me show you."

She started charging a fireball in her hand and Ben saw how the intricate lines burned a bright blue. He noticed even more as the elaborate patterns shone through her clothes. He couldn't understand why she'd hidden them. They were beautiful.

Finally, she released the magic let the fireball fade away. "You see? They're horrid. I look like some sort of monster," she whispered, clearly ashamed.

Ben looked at her in astonishment. "Monster? I've never seen anything more…enchanting," he insisted, struggling to find a word to describe how the lines made her seem even more ethereal than usual.

"What?" she asked, clearly shocked.

Carefully, Ben circled around her and traced his finger along the line that ran from her shoulderblade and disappeared into the laces of her corset. He felt her shudder at his touch, but to his delight, she didn't move away. "Beautiful," he breathed and she turned to face him, her gaze searching his eyes something, probably a hint that he was lying.

"I'm not lying, Princess," he interrupted. "I've never seen anything like it. They, like you, are absolutely marvellous. I can't see why you would hide them."

He saw a strange flash of an emotion he couldn't recognize in her eyes. "Thank you, Captain," she replied coolly and pulled on her porcelain mask and a cloak. "I'd better get going. Reaver isn't going to spontaneously combust, after all."

Ben felt a sudden stab of fear for her and he grabbed her hand. "Please be careful, Bells. We've both seen what Reaver's capable of," he said urgently, conveying his concern with his eyes.

She looked at him with a shocked expression, but it was quickly replaced with a tender smile. "You too, Ben. Who would annoy me if something happened to you?" she joked softly and squeezed his hand affectionately. "Please, take care of Knight for me? I can't take him along and he seems to like you for some reason."

"Of course. It'll be my honour." Knight gave a sad whine at his mistress, but after she whispered something to him, he bounded over to Ben, tail wagging. Then, with one last smile, Annabelle was gone.

OoOoOoOo

_AN: Sorry this chapter ran on a little longer than usual. My ideas got the better of me and I wanted to finish all of these admittedly boring developments before Annabelle goes to Reaver's mansion. I also wanted to highlight Ben and Swift's relationship, throw in another Walter/Ben moment and, of course, more sexual tension between Ben and Annabelle. _

_I hope you enjoyed it and please tell me what you think :)_


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: Hello, lovely readers! Thank you so much for the continued support, favourites, story alerts and reviews!_

_I took a little detour with the Reaver mansion quest, since felt that we didn't see nearly enough of the deviant in either of the two games he appeared in. I hope you enjoy it!_

_Chapter 12_

Annabelle met Page in front of Reaver's extravagant manor a few minutes before ten. She had to stop herself from scoffing at the extravagant mansion, complete with a statue of Reaver. _This monster lives in luxury while children are forced to work in factories. Where is the justice in the world?_ she wondered.

"Oh, good. Let's head in," Page said curtly and the two women headed inside. The inside of the manor was lit with dim red light and most of the guests were strewn across the floor, unconscious or in a very compromising position. They were met with a butler in the foyer shortly after they entered.

"You two are late! All of the alcohol is already finished and most of the guests are already indisposed, so that rules out any orgies," the butler rambled. "Never mind, Master Reaver will be pleased for some sober quests for the final ritual. Follow me." Before Annabelle could process what was going on, the man beckoned for them to follow him. Shooting a glance at Page, she left after him.

"Master Reaver is in the ballroom through here. Enjoy," the butler said with a sly smile and opened the door for them, ushering them inside.

Annabelle fumbled for the sword strapped to her dress, making sure it was still there and went inside. _Something tells me this is a trap,_ she thought when she saw that the ballroom was empty save for a large cage in the middle of the room.

"Kidd!" Page called and rushed to the man inside the cage. "I'll get him out, Page," Annabelle offered and started looking for a latch. The moment she started fumbling with the bars, the cage slowly started rising off the floor. Clutching to her handhold, she continued to look for a door, trying not to fall off.

"Ah, more rabble!" a voice drawled from the balcony. "Don't you think I would know when the resistance wants to infiltrate one of my parties?" The cage shuddered to a halt and Annabelle was forced to let go. When she landed on her feet, she glanced up to the balcony. As soon as she did that, her gaze locked with that of Reaver. "And what lovely pieces of rabble you are," he said luridly. "What do you say we all head upstairs to settle this dispute?"

"No thanks, Reaver. Killing you should be more than enough entertainment!" Page retorted.

"Spirited aren't you? You must be lightning between the sheets," Reaver replied, still grinning lewdly. "But you're not leaving. You're the main entertainment!" He turned to his butler who appeared upstairs. "Start the Wheel of Misfortune!"

A giant wheel started spinning on the opposite wall and landed on an ominous symbol. "Ah, we're starting with Hobbes!" Reaver called merrily and a door swung open. Annabelle unsheathed her sword and headed into the room.

After a few more spins and fighting through hobbes, mercenaries, balverines, hollow men and what Reaver called "sand furies", they ended up back in the ballroom.

"Enough, Reaver! We won. Just let our men go and we'll leave," Page called to the balcony.

"Why would I do that?" Reaver replied with a smile.

"Do you know who this is, Reaver?" Page said, motioning to Annabelle. "Logan's sister, the princess and a Hero." Annabelle looked at the leader of the rebels in shock. _How could she give away my identity?_

"So I was right. As much as I hate to come between siblings, I think this particular lady will prove quite…entertaining," Reaver responded. "Capture the princess and the resistance member."

Finally, Page snapped and aimed her pistol at Reaver's head. She pulled the trigger, but just before the bullet hit Reaver's face, he deflected it with the flick of his cane, still smirking.

"You're going to have to do better than that, love!" he said and before Annabelle could react, a strong pair of arms grabbed her. She moved to attack him, but he pulled her arm painfully. "Struggle and we kill your friend," the guard whispered menacingly into her ear. She looked at Page and was shocked to see her knocked unconscious. She immediately stopped fighting and let herself be led away by the guard.

"Take the rabble to the dungeon and the princess to my personal chambers. Be sure to take her weapons and those ugly gauntlets," she heard Reaver say from the ball room. Her gauntlets and weapons were roughly ripped from her and, after being chained to the bed with a pair of handcuffs, the guard left her in the room. She tried to wiggle free, but the restraints around her hands only caused chafing. With a sigh, she looked around the room. The walls were decorated with posters of Reaver and she felt dirty just lying on top of the satin sheets of the huge bed.

She was still looking for an escaped route when the door swung open. Reaver sauntered in, wearing that smirk that made her feel so uncomfortable. "Ah, Princess," he said and approached the bed. She started struggling against her bonds, feeling helpless without any means of defending herself. There was no way she was going to give in to this monster.

With an amused smile, he leaned in by her ear. "Don't worry. I won't force myself on you. There are some things even I do not approve of. The only way I'll give you anything is if you beg for it," he whispered huskily, his warm breath on her ear and she jerked away. She was seriously rethinking her promise to Ben about not touching him if he were the last man in Albion.

"I'll **never** beg for anything from you," she spat at him, but instead of discouraging him, the deviant gave a tinkling laugh.

"Feisty, I like that. You remind me of your father in fact." He stroked his smooth chin in thought. "Too bad he wasn't as open-minded as I would have liked, but unlike you, he was older and more experienced in the ways of the world and knew how to say no."

He leaned even closer. "But you, _ma__belle__ fleur_, are young, naïve and in a slightly more…interesting…predicament."

"That doesn't mean that I'll beg for a chance to sleep with you, Reaver!" she hissed at him.

Believe me, Princess. You'll offer yourself to me sooner than you think," he replied with another smile, trailing a finger across her cheek. "Such a beautiful vixen...To think your brother hid you from me for all these years," he sighed wistfully.

"Thankfully, he did one thing right," she sneered and he fixed her with another predatory smirk.

"You must certainly drive the men mad with your fire, _ma belle fleur_."

"Stop calling me that! I am **not** "your beautiful flower", you arse! Just get out of here!" She wanted nothing more than to smack that smirk off his face and fry him with a well-aimed fireball. How any woman could fall willingly into Reaver's bed was a mystery to her.

"Oh, my dear, I'm sure we'll find something else to call you. You will be staying here for a while, after all."

She didn't even respond to that and turned her face away. "All right. I'll leave you alone. Just remember, if you change your mind, I'll be right next door. Tatty-bye," he said with a wave and left the room.

After a few more unsuccessful attempts at escaping, she gave up and settled back to go to sleep, but not before sending a quiet prayer out to her father to send help.

oOoOoOo

Ben paced the width of the room over and over, waiting anxiously for Annabelle to return. It was almost dawn and she still wasn't back yet, which was causing him to go mad with concern. _If Reaver so much as __**touched**__ her, I'm going to kill the bastard myself,_ he seethed. "Something's wrong, I can feel it. She should have been back by now!" he mumbled to himself and shot a worried glance at Walter. "Shouldn't we do something?"

Walter stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Normally I'd say, "Shut up, Ben," but I think you're right."

"So I'm going to Reaver's manor? Good," Ben said and grabbed his weapons.

Walter tried to stop him. "Ben, we need a plan," he interrupted.

Ben shook his head. "We had a plan and look where we ended up. I'm leaving right now and you two are staying here." With this, he shot a pointed look at the border collie left in his care.

"Ben, you're not going alone!" Walter insisted.

"If something happens to any one of you, Annabelle will kill me," Ben replied.

He dashed out of the room before Walter could stop him again. He ran almost all the way to Millfields and by the time they reached Reaver's mansion the sun was peeking over the horizon.

He was shocked to see the lawn littered with passed out partygoers, but ignored them to look for some way into the house. Spotting vines leading up to a slightly ajar window, he ran over and started scaling the wall. He was glad to see it opened into a bedroom.

In the bedroom, he found a sleeping Annabelle cuffed to the bed and he was relieved to see her clothes were still intact. If he wasn't so worried, the whole situation would have been hilarious. Though he tried to be stealthy, when he climbed inside the window, the movement caused her to wake up.

"I told you, Reaver, I'd rather die than sleep with you!" she said angrily and turned her head in the opposite direction.

"Well, Princess, I didn't peg you as the type to wake up chained to a strange man's bed," he joked and went to help her with a smile. "I also didn't peg you as the kind that would be stupid enough to get yourself captured.

Relief flooded her face when she recognized him. "Ben? Thank Avo!" she sighed. "I can't feel my arms anymore."

He couldn't help but tease her. "You know, since you're already on the bed…" he trailed off, regarding her thoughtfully.

"Shut up, Ben," she snapped and he started picking the lock on her wrists. "I guess we should add lock picking to your "useful skills" column," she remarked with a slight grimace when he unlocked her hands. She rubbed her wrist and he could see that the area was rubbed raw and slowly oozing blood.

_She must have did that to herself trying to escape,_ he thought and vowed anew to kill Reaver if he ran into him, realizing how much she had to rub her hands for her wrists to look like that, if he took her healing factor into account.

"Let's just get you out of here befo-" He was interrupted by the opening of a door.

"Ah, Princess, if you wanted more company you should've just asked," Reaver remarked and entered the room, pistol drawn. "Your friend is more that welcome to join us," he continued, raising an eyebrow at Ben.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'll have to pass," Ben replied sarcastically and helped Annabelle to her feet, letting her lean against her after he saw her swaying slightly. "Just let us leave and no one will get hurt."

Reaver let out a laugh and Ben felt his blood boil anew. "Leave? Why would I let my newest pet leave? I haven't even had my fun with her."

Ben reached for his Flintlock Rifle behind his back and aimed at Reaver. "That wasn't a request, Reaver. I'm leaving and I'm taking the princess with me."

Reaver raised his Dragonstomper .48 between Ben's eyes. "I don't think so, boy. She's staying here." Though it was unnerving staring down the barrel of Reaver's fabled pistol, he didn't lower his rifle or his gaze.

"Stop it!" Annabelle exclaimed next to him. "Ben, he's going to kill you. Step down. Please," she whispered urgently. "I'll be fine. Just leave."

"I can squeeze off a shot before him, Bells," he replied, equally quiet.

Her green eyes pled with him when she said, "Please, Ben. He's a Hero of Skill. You can't!"

Reluctantly, he lowered his rifle and Annabelle sighed against him. "Reaver, let him go, alive, and you can do with me what you want," she conceded quietly and Ben looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Bells, you can't!" he cried, feeling his heart contract. He couldn't let her stay with this monster. He couldn't even stand the **thought** of her sleeping with him.

"Our agreement was that you would beg for anything from me, Princess," Reaver drawled, still pointing his pistol at Ben and Ben felt her stiffen against him.

"Fine. Please, Reaver. Please let him go and I will let you do anything with me. Please," she pled in a defeated tone.

"With a bit more emotion, please, Princess," Reaver said, sneering.

Ben felt her hold tighten on his arm as silent sobs tore through her body. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close, kiss her and tell her that it would be alright. It broke his heart to see her crying, especially over him. She was supposed to be the strong one, the one who had to keep everyone and everything together and here she was, crying because of Reaver, the last person that deserved her tears.

"Please, Reaver…I beg you…please just let him go…Please," she choked out, tears streaming from her beautiful green eyes. "I'll do anything…Please…"

"All right, I'm convinced," Reaver said with a lurid smile and Ben felt another stab of pain in his chest. "Your friend can go. Guards, escort this man to the ballroom." A burly guard appeared from behind him and pinned his arms painfully behind him.

"No! Our deal was that you'd let him go alive!" Annabelle exclaimed suddenly.

"Oh, but my dear, you asked me to let him go and I am. You didn't specify where I should let him go," Reaver replied and grabbed her arm. "He's going to take a little spin on the Wheel of Misfortune and we're going to watch."

Ben had no idea what was going on, but based on Annabelle's reaction, it was bad. "No! You can't!" she cried and struggled against Reaver's iron hold on her.

"You said I can do anything with you, Princess. And before you feel disappointed, there will be plenty of time for…other…activities later," Ben heard him whisper in her ear and he saw tears more start to pool in her eyes, but she stayed quiet as the guard started jerking him to the ballroom.

"Bells, I'll be fine," he whispered and shot her a forced smile. She turned away and he saw a tear roll down her cheek. _She does care about me,_ he thought and if he wasn't fearing for his life, he would have been elated.

He was unceremoniously dumped in the empty ballroom and the guard tossed him more weapons, which he recognized as Annabelle's gauntlets and her sword and pistol. "You're going to need them," the guard said, grinning evilly. He glanced up at the balcony where Reaver was still maintaining a hold on Annabelle. Ben sincerely hoped that death by whatever Reaver planned was less painful than seeing the pain in her eyes.

oOoOoOo

"Hm…I hope this is going to be more entertaining than last night's spin," Reaver remarked. Annabelle felt as if her heart was breaking when she watched the guard throw Ben on the floor. _He can't die, he just can't_, her thoughts cried. She knew he was good, but he wasn't good enough to survive on his own.

She shot a silent glare at Reaver and thought of a way to rescue Ben. If only she had her weapons…

Then an idea formed in her head and she shot a look at Ben. She yanked her arm free of Reaver's grip and leaped over the balcony, hoping Ben realized what she was doing. And sure enough, she landed firmly in his waiting arms. "I hope you have a plan, Bells," he whispered in her ear as he lowered her to the ground.

"How do you know me, Captain?" she replied with a grin. "New deal, Reaver. If we live, you let us leave. If we die…well, you'll get your entertainment," she called to the balcony, pulling on her gauntlets.

Reaver seemed to consider it for a moment. "You know, I tire of these games. We'll meet again, Princess, I'm sure of that. Let them go," he replied. "Tatty-bye!" He turned on his heel and left.

She looked at Ben with a huge smile. "I told you I'd get you out," she said.

"Actually, you never said that, Princess," he replied with a cocky grin. "I thought I was the rescue party."

She shook her head and headed to the dungeons. "We need to go get Page," she rushed out and headed to where she saw the guards lead Page last night. They found her still unconscious in one of the cells.

"It's a good thing you have a strong back, Captain. You're going to have to carry her," she remarked as she unlocked the door with the key she stole from the guard.

"And I see we're going to have to add pickpocketing to **your** "useful skills" column, Princess." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Do I want to know where you learned to do that?"

"Just because you don't know how to use your small hands doesn't mean I didn't dabble in the finer art of pilfering, Captain."

He shot her a lopsided grin and lowered his voice seductively. "Oh, I know how to use my hands, Princess. Don't you doubt that for a second. And now that I've seen you can do the same…" he trailed off and quirked his eyebrow suggestively.

She felt her cheeks heat up with a blush and turned away. "Shut up, Finn and get Page before Reaver changes his mind," she said flippantly, but she could hear her voice tremble and knew he could too.

"Of course, Princess," he replied with a smug smile on his face and went to pick up Page's limp form. "Sod, it's a good things she's unconscious, because I wouldn't dare say that she's heavier than she looks to her face," he grunted.

She rolled her eyes and they made their way out of Reaver's manor once and for all. As she left that horrid place in her wake, she silently thanked her father for the help he sent in the form of a charming captain.


	13. Chapter 13

_AN: Hey all of you lovely readers! This might be getting old, but I want to thank everyone that has reviewed, favourite or added this story to their story alerts. I really, really appreciate it!_

_One thing you should know is that this chapter contains a direct quoting of a piece of Ben's autobiography. I have to admit that I repeatedly sought out the pages just to hear the awesome way in which Simon Pegg portrays Ben's character._

_So, just a special disclaimer: I do not own Fable 3, the characters or Ben's autobiography._

_Chapter 13_

Annabelle disappeared shortly after they left Millfields. Ben didn't even know she was gone until he turned around to ask her something, but wasn't too worried about her safety since she probably just had to clear her head. After he dropped off Page at the headquarters and assured Walter that Annabelle was indeed fine, he set off to find her.

He finally found her at the Old Quarter dock, staring into the dark ocean. "Hey, sweetheart. Why did you disappear?" he asked carefully and lowered himself down next to her.

"Oh, hello, Captain. I just needed to think," she replied with a small smile, not looking at him. He took the hint and stayed silent, simply looking at the ocean. He couldn't stop himself from shooting glances at the princess who'd changed out of her gown into her highwayman pants and the cotton shirt with the brown corset he loved so much. He wondered what she was thinking about and noticed that the late morning sunlight brought out the highlights in her chocolate hair and dance across her porcelain skin.

There was no way around it. Ben was in love with her. The scene in Reaver's mansion just reinforced what he felt towards her and he was wondering what to do about it. Though she might care about him, he wasn't sure if she was ready to admit that she was in love with him and he had to make sure before he blurted it out. He wasn't even sure if he should tell her, considering what has happened to him in the past.

"You are uncharacteristically quiet, Captain," she remarked after a while.

"I didn't want to interrupt your thoughts."

"So you're being considerate? That's…new," she joked.

He looked at her, feigning hurt. "I happen to be a very considerate person. I'm hurt that you think otherwise."

She let out a little giggle, stopping herself with an embarrassed cough and Ben felt himself smile. He absolutely loved the sound of her laugh, as tiny as it might be.

"Well, Captain, are you ready to tell me what happened after you left Gunk?" she asked, tilting her head at him.

He looked at her in surprise. She wanted to know about his past? Again? "Are you sure you want to hear it? My tales might be upsetting for a princess," he tried to deflect.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know, Captain," she replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright," he sighed. "What little gold I had saved in my youth had gone in the quick succession of funerals described to you previously, not to mention paying off the gambling and business debts of those now in the ground. And so it was that I left my so called home as penniless as I had entered it seventeen years previously. Unable to embark on my career as an explorer, I found myself gravitating towards the main cities and doing a variety of jobs. I stocked books at the Brightwall Library, absorbing as much knowledge about the world from those precious pages as I could. I served drinks at the Cow and Corset in Bowerstone, once I'd established that my comedy routines were getting my nowhere among the ever slightly more sophisticated urban rabble, and eventually managed to put my shooting skills to proper employ as one of the many bodyguards who protect traders as they go from town to town."

"At last I held a real rifle in my hands, and using it against the bandits, hobbes, and other undesirables who the trading caravans attracted, felt as natural as breathing. Not only that, the wages were so superior to any I had earned before, I'd soon put away enough gold to make my dream come true. I loaded myself with provisions, weapons and a good set of leather boots, and set out to experience the sort of adventures I'd read about since so young an age, exploring every corner of Albion as I did so."

He wondered how to explain his less sophisticated activities without making her think that he was a complete scoundrel and lose all her respect for him. "I shall, in time, expand on the many strange and incredible escapades that occupied me during the following years. For now I will simply remark that I hunted hidden treasures, set on dangerous quests in the very same manner the Heroes of legends once did, and in short, exhausted almost every legitimate means by which a young man may experience life at its fullest."

He thought for a moment. "It must have been this exhaustion, coupled no doubt with the fact that I could never quite shake off my involvement, accidental or otherwise, with criminal behavior, that led me in the end to run with a band of smugglers operating out of the Bowerstone port. After a few weeks of contrabanding, it was inevitable that I would wash up in the capital of such activities, Bloodstone. Its uncouth nature, colorful characters and almost daily bar room fist fights, fed a rather unhealthy, and until then quite hidden, appetite for the pleasures only the lowest of societies can provide."

He looked at her, embarrassed. "I blush to recall those days of drinking, gambling and indulging in other unsavoury pastimes. I blush even harder as I bring to mind the succession of strong-willed and even stronger thighed women I fell in love with. My only excuse is that such lack of restraint was latent in my blood, and while I had not followed my brothers' example while they lived, I celebrated their memories by following it now," he added quickly.

"Strong-thighed?" she asked, clearly amused and he gave her a shrug. "What can I say? I've always had a weakness for a woman who can stand in her own two feet."

"As opposed to…?"

"A woman who is dependent on a man to find her goal in life. I want a woman who is independent, a woman who can do her own thing but for some reason still keeps me around and isn't afraid to say that I am what she wants. And what man can say no to a strong-thighed woman? I am only human after all," he replied.

She rolled her eyes. "All right, how did a man like you end up in the army? I can't imagine a man giving up on his drinking and strong-thighed women to earn a lawful wage."

Ben laughed at the memory. "It was actually drinking that caused me to come back to Bowerstone. At last, I boarded a motley-crewed frigate one balmy night. Whether on a drunken impulse or because of the result of a drunken bet, I cannot say, though drunkenness was most certainly to blame one way or the other. Though hardly pleased with the company I was forced to keep, or the profession I was forced to embrace, I looked forward to the chance to see more of the world than was bounded by Albion's borders. I must admit, however, that the plundering nature of our voyages contrived to spoil any tourism I might have otherwise enjoyed in the foreign landscapes we visited. My impression of such exotic locations is inextricably tied with images of the local population waving sharp implements in a threatening manner as our ship set sail to the horizon."

"When my crew and I next alighted in the port of Bowerstone with the intention of selling our wares to the black market, I grasped by chance and left this chapter of my life behind, with little regrets but quite a few cuts, bruises…and monkey bites," he added wryly. Annabelle almost burst out laughing, but nodded for him to continue.

"It was there I met a man who was to change my life for the better, and offer me a career that would give me what I longed for most: a sense of belonging, a new family, and a lawfully gained wage. I was about to join the Albion royal army," he finished.

She pursed her lips for a moment. "So you've been an entertainer, a swindler, an assistant in a library, a barman, a bodyguard, an adventurer, a smuggler, a drunken ladies' man, a pirate and finally a soldier with the rank of captain? And you're how old?"

Her expression was impossible to read. "Um, twenty-six?" he settled for answering.

"That's quite a charmed life if nothing else," she responded breaking into a smile. "You should really consider publishing your autobiography. And don't even bother telling me that you don't remember what you wrote because you quoted it exactly!" she said, pointing an accusing finger at his chest.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, wondering what she could mean. She pulled out a few sheaves of paper and he could recognize his handwriting.

"Where the hell did you find those?" he asked, shocked. He'd been looking for months for those papers since he was embarrassed about them and here was the last person he'd wanted to read them sitting with his first and only two chapters. Fate must really hate him.

"You **read **them and still asked me to tell you the story? Why would you do that?" he backpedalled.

"Because I wanted to test a theory," she said simply.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What was your theory?"

"You know my theory that you're a complete scoundrel?"

"Yes…?" he answered slowly.

Her lips split into a shy smile. "You just proved me wrong."

"As glad as I am to hear that, how did I do that?"

She seemed to be embarrassed about her answer. "Well, at first, when I found these pages and read them, they affirmed what I thought of you. Pirating, smuggling, etcetera doesn't exactly seem like an honest individual. But then, you came for me in Reaver's Manor, risking your own life to save mine and I couldn't understand how you could do that. Then I started thinking, what if you really changed? What if you really aren't just trying to bed me as a challenge to yourself? I decided to give you a simple test. I asked about what you did after you left Gunk."

He was still confused. "How is that a test?"

"If you'll be quiet, I'll tell you. I figured that if you really only wanted to bed me, you'd lie and tell me what you thought I wanted to hear and since I have these pages, I'd know you were lying." She looked him right in the eye. "But you didn't. You came clean and told me the truth, even though you thought it might influence my opinion of you," she said softly.

"So, are you convinced that I'm not the scum of Albion?" he asked with a cheeky grin.

"For now. Anyway, Walter must be mad with worry by now," she said and got to her feet, extending a hand toward him.

He took it and got to his feet. "Yes, he almost attacked me when I came back without you. Thanks for that, by the way," he replied sarcastically.

"Oh, you do well enough to give Walter reason to want to kill you on your own, Captain."

It was his turn to roll his eyes and the made their way back to the hideout.

"So, Ben…have you ever found the type of woman you are looking for?" she asked carefully. He looked at her in surprise and saw that she wasn't meeting his gaze.

"Actually…I think I might have. During this revolution in fact. There are certainly plenty of independent woman in the Resistance alone. Take Page for example…she's beautiful, smart and fearless." He didn't want to admit that he found **her** much more desirable than the rude rebel. Not yet, anyway.

"Page?" He almost missed the expression of hurt on her face and she hid so it quickly that he thought he had imagined it. "She certainly is all of those things…" Annabelle gave a curt nod and opened the door to the sewers.

The hideout was strangely empty and the guard informed them that most of the men were on missions or still recovering from injuries. He told them to wait for Page and Walter in the war room, who'd probably meet them in about fifteen minutes. There was nothing else they could do for fifteen minutes, so they went to the war room to wait.

Though they'd spent time on their own together, Ben felt slightly uncomfortable being alone in the room with Annabelle. Maybe it was this overwhelming urge to hold her and touch her he'd been having for the past few hours.

He watched as she casually inspected the map in the center of the room and her blouse gaped open just enough for him to…

"Finn? Are you staring at my breasts again?" she snapped and he jerked his gaze to meet her eyes, feeling embarrassed.

He'd never been shy around women and here this girl was making him stumble and blush like a schoolboy with a crush. How on earth did she manage to do that? "Um…well, they are marvelous," he said with a shrug and a smile. It didn't have the desired effect.

"Did I give you permission to inspect me, Captain?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

He let a bark of laughter escape before he could stop himself. "Did I need your permission for that too? Since when does a man need permission to ogle a gorgeous woman?"

Her green eyes flashed with anger. "Since that man is a womanizing captain with a wandering eye!"

"I thought you said that you didn't think that I was the scum of Albion anymore."

"That was before I caught you staring at me! It's…it's unnerving!" she sputtered.

He raised his eyebrow. "How?"

Her mouth gaped open and shut as she thought of an answer. If she wasn't about to kill him, he might have pointed out that he'd never seen her at a loss for words. "Because…because…because it isn't proper!" she managed.

He laughed again. "How eloquent, Princess. You know, if I didn't know any better I'd swear you were attracted to me."

"What?" she said with a disbelieving look. "Me, a princess, attracted to you, a common soldier? Please, don't flatter yourself, **Captain**" She spat out the last word.

She couldn't have struck him deeper if she'd run him through with her sword. "So that's all I am? A common soldier? I'm glad to know where we stand, **your Highness**," he retorted angrily.

"A common soldier, a peasant, a scoundrel. Pick the one you like, Finn, but not one of them will make you desirable to me in the least," she said with a wave of her hand. _What the hell has gotten into her?_ he wondered. _Just when I was getting through to her, she starts to act like a spoiled brat again!_

Well, two could play at that game. "Oh please, Princess. If I'd wanted to sleep with you, I would have done so already. You're just so **easy** to rile up," he drawled.

"Seeing as you like riling people up, you'd much rather sleep with Page than me anyway!"

Stunned, he took a step back. "What the hell are you on about?" _Is she __**jealous**__?_

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms defiantly. "Come on, do you think I'm blind? The jokes, the flirty looks? Do you really think I entertained the idea that you preferred me over her?"

"I'm not interested in Page! She hates me!" he retorted.

"Well, that seems to be a pattern with you, **Captain**. Running after the women that can't stand you!"

"Oh? Then why did you cry in Reaver's Manor at the prospect of me dying?"

Her eyes widened and her hand shot to her throat. "Because…Because you are a vital part of the Revolutionary Army!" she said finally, the pitch of her voice higher than usual.

"Don't give me that crap!" he snapped, grabbing her arm. "If it was anyone but me, would you have offered yourself to Reaver?"

"Of course!" she insisted. She struggled against his hold, but he didn't let go.

"Stop lying to me!"

He was met with a defiant glare as she still continued to tug at his arm. "How dare you talk to me like this? Let go of me at once!" she commanded, her voice shaking with fury.

"Don't pull the royalty card and stop avoiding the question. Why did you become so upset at the prospect of me dying?" he said in a quiet, yet threatening voice, daring her to lie to him again.

"Because I was sleep-deprived and had been tied to a sodding bed for Avo's sake! If I was **any** other person than you, I would have done exactly the same," she hissed, fire blazing in her eyes. "And I will see you hanged if you don't release me this instant. Don't forget who you are talking to, **Captain**!

"Really?" He cupped her chin to force her to look at him. "Look me in the eye right now and tell me that you feel nothing for me," he dared.

She was slowly turning red with fury and green eyes met blue as she sneered the next words. "Like I said before, I wouldn't deign myself to touch you if you were the last man in Albion!" Even though she spat the words at him, he couldn't help but notice a waver in her voice and that her eyes didn't quite meet his.

"You'd let Reaver sleep with you before me? **Now** I'm insulted," he said dryly, still holding her gaze.

"At least Reaver is a Hero while you're just a nobody. You are nothing to me, Ben Finn and you'll never be!" she snapped and Ben felt his blood start to boil. He dropped his hands to his sides, clenching them into fists.

"And you're just a selfish, spoiled brat! Why else would you choose your boyfriend over your loyal subjects? Yeah, a few nights of lost sleep, but you can easily rectify that with a quick tussle between the sheets with Pretty Boy!" he retorted, trying to hurt her where it would cut to the quick. Based on her expression, he succeeded.

She turned an even whiter shade of pale. "How dare you! How dare you, you bastard!" she yelled and moved to slap him through the face, but he caught her hand. "Let me go, Finn!"

He was furious. He could literally feel his blood boiling in his arteries and see stars starting to appear in his field of vision. He wanted to kill her, but he would probably just end up being hanged for treason.

Instead, he did the next most logical thing he could think of in his state. He flung his arm around her waist to yank her against him as his lips crashed down to kiss her as passionately as he could.

oOoOoOoOo

_AN: Ah! Not a cliffhanger! Just kidding. _

_Anyway, in all seriousness, I know that I've been updating about thrice a week, but I'm going back to university next week and I won't have stable internet connection. After this week, I don't know when I'll be able to update again, but I promise that I'll post a couple of extra chapters this week to make up for it._

_Again, thanks for the support and please tell me what you think! Reviews are love :) _


	14. Chapter 14

_AN: Hello! Again, I want to thank everyone that has read, reviewed, favourited (is that even a word?) or added this story to their story alerts. You are absolutely awesome!_

_I must have rewritten this chapter about seven times and even now I'm not exactly happy with it. I said in the first chapter that there will be spoilers for the game, but just in case, a warning that this chapter has a rather significant spoiler in it._

_I felt that the game really underplayed Swiftie's death and I honestly think that Ben would react much worse than how he did in the game. So, please read and review!_

_Chapter 14_

Annabelle felt Ben tighten his hold on her hand and just when she though he was about to hurt her or something, he crushed his lips to hers, wrapping an arm around her waist to yank her hips against his. She was almost too shocked to move, but retained some semblance of movement.

This time the slap met its mark with a resounding crack.

"How dare you-" She was cut off when his lips attacked hers again. This time, she couldn't find the strength to resist. Though her head yelled for her to stop him, deep down, this was what she'd wanted for so long. Yes, she cared for him, but he was the most infuriating man she'd ever met. In all honesty, she may even be falling for him. She'd tried to smother those feelings by making him hate her. It's better for him to hate her now and break only her heart, than to break both their hearts later.

Any other thoughts were chased from her mind when Ben began running his tongue along her lower lip and settled his hand on her lower back. The feeling of his strong hand on her waist, pulling her even closer, was enough to cause her to let out an involuntary gasp and Ben took this as an invitation to slip his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Annabelle wasn't exactly certain what was happening in her haze of bliss, but somehow she found herself against the rough stone wall of the hideout. Finally, the little breaths of air weren't enough and they were forced to break apart, both panting from the passionate display.

Through hooded eyes, the princess could see that Ben's blue eyes were filled with an emotion that she couldn't read and it scared her. At that moment, everything about Ben scared her, from the gentle hold he was still maintaining on her waist to the way her heart thudded in her chest at the feeling of his arms around her. This was one thing she didn't know how to handle. Some part of her was cursing her for being too weak to follow through with her plan to push Ben away, while another wasn't completely satisfied with that kiss.

"Bells, I…I honestly don't know what to say," he said, looking slightly embarrassed, yet strangely pleased. "I don't know why I did that."

The part of her screaming for more got even louder and no manner of argument could get it to quiet down. She was literally overflowing with mixed emotions from the past few days. Anger, love, confusion, hate, fear and disappointment all flowed together so that she couldn't think or argue rationally. All she registered was that this was a bad idea, but she could deal with the consequences later.

At last, she gave in.

"Shut up, Ben," she whispered fiercely and pulled him against her to kiss him deeply. Thankfully, this was one time he listened.

Ben was stunned for a moment and Annabelle started to pull away, chastising herself for being an idiot and finally managed to pull herself together. _You're mad at him remember?_

However, it seemed that Ben finally regained the use of his limbs and pinned her against the wall, his lips hungrily seeking out hers. _And there goes my barely reigned self-control,_ she thought as she melted into his arms. No kiss Elliot had ever given her had made her feel that way. Ben was obviously a very accomplished lover.

A low moan sounded in her throat and she felt Ben smirk against her lips. Not one to give him the upper-hand, she gripped his shoulders to hop up and wrap her legs around his waist, wringing her hands in his hair. The captain let out a surprised sound, but moved closer against the wall so that she was better supported.

"Strong-thighed indeed," he growled into her ear, still grinning.

A scathing retort was on the tip of her tongue, but she was interrupted by faint voices on the outside of the room. Owing it to her imagination or the blood rushing in her ears, she ignored it and instead chose to respond by attacking his lips again.

Ben, on the other hand, let out a huge sigh and pulled away slightly. "Did you lock the door?" he breathed and peppered her jaw with kisses, leaving a trail of fire where his lips had touched her.

"No," she managed to answer against his mouth. At her words, he stopped his ministrations immediately. An involuntary hum of indignation escaped her lips and she kissed him again, trying to coax him into continuing. She wasn't about to let him stop now, knowing full well that if she wasn't so confused and filled with the mix of emotions of the past few days, she probably wouldn't have let it get this far in the first place.

To his credit, Ben didn't seem to want to stop either. Her kiss was returned with equal fervour, before he seemed to regain his senses. "Walter is going to **kill** me," he sighed into her lips.

Just as he said those words, the heavy metal door swung open with a squeal. "The guard said he heard shouting and then everything went quiet. Will you two stop trying to kill each other?" Walter exclaimed worriedly as he, Page and Knight entered the room. "Can't you at-"

He stopped what he was saw what Ben and Annabelle were actually busying themselves with and turned white as a sheet.

Annabelle could only imagine how it looked. The rebel princess was propped against the wall with her legs firmly wrapped around her captain's waist, their faces mere inches from each other and breathing heavily. It was not exactly what Walter would have expected to find.

"Um, hey Walter. I guess this was probably what you referred to when you warned me against "inappropriate behaviour"," Ben said sheepishly and Annabelle could feel her face heat up with shame.

"Maybe you should let me get down," she suggested quietly to Ben and, as if he suddenly realized what was going on, lowered her to the ground and she looked at the dirty floor, absolutely mortified. What was even worse, Ben seemed nonchalant as he raked his fingers through his hair in an effort to neaten it and Walter remained stoic, while Page simply looked as if she was about to burst out laughing.

"Annabelle, go see if Major Swift is back yet," Walter managed eventually.

"Walter, I…" she started but he cut her off.

"I said go, Annabelle."

"No. I'm not going anywhere," she replied stubbornly. There little situation was as much her fault as Ben's.

Annabelle had forgotten how scary Walter looked when he was angry. He was positively snarling when he settled his gaze on her again. "Listen, young lady, stop talking back and do what you're told."

"Wally, it wasn't her fault. I'm the one that started it," Ben interrupted and Walter turned his furious gaze to the captain.

"What you were doing was completely inappropriate! Seducing the princess?" Walter yelled angrily. "After I warned you what would happen to you? You really are a right idiot!"

"I wasn't seducing her, it just…happened. Believe me, I really didn't intend for that to happen," came Ben's careful reply.

"I know you Ben and we both know that right now, you didn't think with your head or your heart for that matter!"

"I didn't plan-"

"You know Annabelle is emotional after the incident at Reaver's and the meeting with Elliot and you took advantage of her! I can't believe this! I warned you, Ben!"

She couldn't take it anymore. "He didn't take advantage of me, Walter! Like he said, it just happened. Besides, I'm just as guilty as he is," she interrupted, avoiding Ben's piercing blue gaze.

Walter turned his angry gaze on her. "Don't even get me started on you, young lady! Fornicating with Ben? What is wrong with you? I thought you were smarter than this!"

""Fornicating?" Now I know where Annabelle learned to use big words when she's angry," Ben remarked dryly and she jabbed him in his ribs with her elbow. "Alright, I get the hint. "Shut up, Ben", right?" he muttered and shot her a smirk.

"Ben, I told you that I'm going to ki-" Walter's threat was interrupted by cries coming from outside the base.

"All citizens of Bowerstone, assemble at the castle for King Logan's announcement! All citizens, to the castle by order of King Logan!"

Fear at what her brother was going to do next gripped her heart and she forgot everything else. She grabbed Ben's hand without thinking and ran outside, ignoring Walter's protestations. Hoards of people were making their way to the castle so it was easy for them to fade into the crowd and fear of what Logan might say made her clutch Ben's hand tightly. To his credit, he squeezed it supportively while they made their way to the castle courtyard.

"Citizens, our society has been infiltrated by traitors," Logan addressed the crowd and Annabelle and Ben slowly made their way through the crowd to see the platform in front. Annabelle could feel her blood freeze at his words.

"You can't trust anyone! A traitor can be your neighbour, your friend or even your most loyal servant." At these words, a jailor brought a brutalized Major Swift to the platform. His right eye was swollen and his chest and arms were covered with lash marks. Blood dripped slowly from cuts on his face and she noticed a slight limp.

She heard Ben inhale sharply next to her. "No, Swiftie…" he whispered and she held his hand tighter.

"Look upon the face of Major Swift, the leader of the old guard! He has been found guilty of high treason and know that anyone found consorting with the so-called "resistance" will meet the same fate," Logan continued. The jailor raised his rifle to Swift's temple.

Ben moved forward and she had to grab his arm to stop him. "Ben, don't. You'll get yourself killed," she pleaded and she could see him struggle with the choice between interrupting and staying quiet. Eventually, he lowered his head and she loosened her hold.

Logan continued ranting and she knew where this was leading. Swift's gaze found them in the crowd and he shot Ben a sad smile and a knowing nod.

She could sense Ben tensing and she didn't want him to see this. "Ben, look at me," she whispered insistently, but he continued looking helplessly at the man on the pedestal.

"Please, look at me," she tried again and she heard the signal sound, but Ben continued ignoring her.

"Ben!" she cried, grabbing his chin to jerk it toward her just as the rifle fired. The anguish in his eyes made her heart break, but she couldn't risk them being found out. "We have to go, Ben," she insisted and led him to the Cock in the Crown in the marketplace.

After guiding the still shocked Ben to a secluded corner booth and ordering two tankards of ale, she finally looked him in his eyes. The usually clear blue was dark with grief.

"He has to be stopped! No matter what it takes! He has to be–" he choked out and dropped his head into his hands.

"Ben, I'm so sorry," she said quietly and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Major Swift had been Ben's Walter. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if Walter was killed in front of her like that and sympathized with the blond captain wholeheartedly.

"Why didn't you stop him?" he asked hoarsely, lifting his head. "You could have done something!"

"What could I have done, Ben? I couldn't risk putting you in danger," she insisted, but he shook his head slowly.

"You could have saved him. You're supposed to be a Hero!" he replied, his gaze accusing.

"Nobody could have saved him, Ben. Swift knew what he was getting into and what the dangers were. If I did something, I would have gotten both of us killed."

"I should have helped him. I should have gone to the castle with him," he muttered and she forced him to look her in the eye again.

"Ben, Swift saved your life. He didn't want you to get hurt and if you'd acted in the courtyard his sacrifice would have been for nothing," she said quietly.

"Don't pretend like he died some noble death. And don't pretend to know what Swift would have wanted!" he retorted and got to his feet.

"Ben, stop," she said and stood up, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"Leave me alone, Princess," he replied, shrugging her hand off. "I don't need faked sympathy from **you**."

She placed both her hands on his shoulders. "I…I care too much about you to extend false sympathies, Ben! I don't want you to get hurt! You're my friend…"

He let out a humorless laugh. "Your friend? Right. You're just like your brother, **Princess**. You don't care who gets killed, as long as you get your way. First those villagers, now Swift. You probably only see them as casualties of war, right? Necessary sacrifices to get on the throne, right?" he said sharply. "That's all this is about, isn't it? All you want is to be queen! Whatever happened in the war room was probably just another way to ensure my loyalty, wasn't it?" he exclaimed and wrenched free from her grasp, glaring at her.

Inhaling sharply at his words, she shot him a defiant scowl. "No, it wasn't! I don't know what it was exactly, but it wasn't a political move, Ben! You have to believe me," she pled, but his gaze remained hard.

"Please. You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

The rest of the tavern was starting to stare, but she couldn't care less. "Fine! Let it out, Ben! Tell me what you want from me!"

"I wanted you to save the man that I thought of as my father!" The glimmer of a tear shone in his eye and she had to stop herself from reaching out to wipe it away. "I wanted you to act like the Hero you claim to be!"

"I couldn't, Ben! If I could give up everything…the crown, my powers, anything, to bring back to those who lost their lives, I would. Don't you understand?"

"Don't try to pacify me!" Shooting her one last pained look, he left the pub in a huff while all she could do was watch, frozen in place.

While she knew he was upset, his words still hurt. A part of her wanted to follow him, but another told her to leave him alone to grieve. All she could do was hope he didn't self-destruct.

"Please be careful, Ben," she whispered and sat back down in the booth to let the tears she's been keeping back fall, praying that Ben would come back to her in one piece.


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: I'm back! For all of you that reviewed, favourited and added this to their story alerts, thank you SO, SO much! They certainly helped motivate me during this past week and I'm so glad that I can finally update again! I'm running out of pre-written chapters and your continued support keeps me motivated to keep writing this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter! _

_A little warning, this chapter is rated for violence._

_Chapter 15_

Ben wandered around Industrial, not really going anywhere in particular. Eventually he found himself near one of the more dingy bars near the dock and he decided to embrace that long suppressed urge he had to drink himself into a stupor.

He'd stopped counting the tankards after the tenth, but no matter how much he drank and tried to forget, he couldn't erase that image of Swift on that platform. He wanted to kill Logan so badly at that moment.

Another gulp of ale seared down his throat.

"Another one, love?" the barmaid asked flippantly and Ben looked at her, really seeing her for the first time. She was petite and very young, though she wore clothes to make her seem older. Through the many layers of makeup, he could see that she was actually quite pretty, with blue-green eyes and light brown hair. She was exactly the type of girl he'd hung around with in Bloodstone and it would be so easy be to fall back into those old habits as well. He longed to forget his troubles for a few hurried moments with a strange woman in a strange bed, but something stopped him.

There was something more than the obvious physical similarities about the barmaid that reminded him of the other person he'd been trying to forget. Her hair was lighter and though her eyes were teal rather than the princess's emerald, the barmaid had that same determined glint. She was doing what was necessary to survive, be it working a dangerous job to pay the bills or starting a revolution to overthrow her brother.

Annabelle. A feeling of guilt gripped his innards when he thought about the rebel princess. Oh Avo, he'd been an idiot. How could he have said those things to her? She didn't deserve them in the very least. She'd stayed by his side the whole time, literally holding his hand and when she told him that she _cared_ about him, he ran away. He really was a scoundrel. How could he even think that he could ever deserve her when she was obviously too good for him?

His thoughts drifted to the events right before Logan's announcement. Avo, he'd wanted her. He'd wanted her so badly that he acted against his better judgement of staying away. He still couldn't believe she reacted like she did, the second time obviously. The first time was completely expected and he was more surprised that she didn't set him on fire instead of just slapping him.

It had felt so _right_ kissing her, holding her as if she was his and her passionate reaction had sent his last bit of rational thought, that little voice that annoyed the hell out of him by telling him to stop before it was too late, running. Walter was right, at that moment he wasn't thinking with his head or his heart. Swift would probably have been reprimanding him right now if he knew what he'd done.

He felt his throat tighten at the thought of his former commander. Swift's patience and guidance had saved him from what would have been a very dark and dangerous life that would probably have gotten him killed and he was eternally grateful for that. He only wished he was around to ask him what he should do.

"Soldier boy? I asked if you wanted another one," the barmaid asked again, snapping him out of his reverie. With a start he realized that he was right back where he was when he came back to Bowerstone before he joined the army, drunk in some dodgy bar with a strange woman, everything Swift had taught him to leave behind. He was doing nothing to honour Swiftie's memory by staying here and he was simply reinforcing the image he'd been trying to convince Annabelle that he wasn't.

He shook his head at the barmaid and got to his feet, stumbling slightly. He needed to get out of here, before he did something he regretted. He needed to see Annabelle and apologize for being such an idiot, but most of all, he needed to act like Swift's right-hand and be the captain Annabelle's army needed and deserved. He was in charge of the Swift Brigade now and he needed to act like it.

He was actually feeling a bit better when he started for the door, but the sight of a few more rowdy patrons stopped him. They were harassing one of the waitresses, a girl who couldn't be older than eighteen, despite her attire. He cursed the surge of chivalry he felt and headed over, swaying slightly. He was more than a bit intoxicated, but the girl needed his help.

"Don't you lads know that no means no?" he interrupted the group and the waitress shot him a grateful look. "I think you'd better leave this lady alone."

"She's not a lady, mate, not in those clothes," the largest man remarked and his group burst out laughing. Ben noticed from their uniforms that the men were part of Logan's elite guards.

_Shit,_ he thought to himself. _Someone somewhere really hates me._

Ignoring that irritating and yet sensible voice in his head, he addressed them again. "Come on. Surely fine men like you can find willing women?" he said sarcastically. "Oh wait."

The large man, dubbed Ugly by Ben, got to his feet. "You've got a lot of guts for such a tiny man," he snarled. Though Ben was not particularly small, he felt as big as those insulting gnomes Brian had released when the man stood at his full height.

"Just leave the lady alone and no one gets hurt," Ben replied, sounding braver or stupider, depending how you looked at it, than he felt. Alcohol really did make you an idiot.

Ugly scrunched up his hideous face as he inspected Ben. "Wait, I know you…" His face flooded with recognition and an evil smirk formed on his lips. "Why men, I think we found the illusive Captain Benjamin Finn. Get him men." The men got to their feet and approached him slowly.

Ben felt his heart drop, but he wasn't going to be taken that easily. He reached for his sword, but when his hand brushed through nothing but air, he swore creatively. He suddenly remembered that after Annabelle and he had their little misadventure interrupted, he didn't have time to grab his weapons.

Fortunately for him, he'd taken part in more than a few bar room brawls, in most of which he was a lot drunker and against a lot more opponents. Unfortunately, his opponents at that moment consisted of six of Logan's most skilled guards, who were much more sober and he had no weapons. He was, in layman's terms, completely and utterly screwed.

Ben tried his best to fight them off and even managed to knock two of them out before he was overwhelmed.

"Night, night, Captain," was the last thing he heard before Ugly's fist came crashing down to knock him unconscious.

oOoOoOo

"Where do you think he could be, Knight?" Annabelle asked the border collie at her feet while she was lying on her bed at the Cock and the Crown, her tone laced with concern. Ben had been gone for almost fourteen hours and, frankly, Annabelle was going mad with worry. She smiled wryly when she imagined that this is how Walter and Ben must have felt when she was being held captive by Reaver.

She immediately became embarrassed when she thought about the last time she'd seen Walter. She hasn't spoken to him since the incident in the war room.

The dog lifted his head sadly and crawled closer to put his head on her lap, giving a little whine. "I know, boy. I'm worried too," she said quietly and stroked his soft ears. Though she knew Ben could more than handle himself and needed time to figure things out, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The new slew of wanted posters with her, Walter, Ben, Sabine and Page's faces adorning every available post, wall and window also did nothing to calm her down. She was so afraid that he might have gotten drunk and ended up captured.

"Why am I so concerned about a good-for-nothing scoundrel?" she thought aloud, though she already knew the answer. Even though they'd said things to each other that they didn't mean, it was clear to her that he cared about her and she cared about him. There was no logical reason for her to worry about the charming, handsome, infuriating captain, but yet, here she was, losing sleep about him. She made herself a silent promise to hit him for doing this to her.

With that thought, she jumped off the bed, grabbed her weapons and headed to Industrial to find the miserable bastard before she really lost her mind or he got himself killed. She owed him that much.

oOoOoOo

"Wake him up! I don't care if you need to hit him to do it!"

The roaring voice ignited Ben's pounding head even further as he struggled to open his eyes. He could feel that he was lying on a stone floor and that his hands and feet were bound. _Definitely up on my "Top ten worst situations to wake up in after getting trashed", _he thought dryly.

His head hurt like hell and he couldn't determine whether it was from a huge hangover or the fact that he had been knocked unconscious by a ten ton brute. When his eyes finally managed to focus again, he could make out steel bars and stone walls around him. That couldn't be a good thing.

"Ah, you're finally awake. I was afraid we were going to have to hit you again," Ugly commented.

"And I get to wake up to your lovely face. I'm blessed," Ben snarled sarcastically, managing to push himself to a sitting position. "Can you at least tell me where I am?"

"Why, you are in the castle dungeon, of course."

Ben tried to keep his face neutral, but inside he felt his heart drop. There was no way anyone was going to be able to break him out of Logan's fortress. _How could you be stupid enough to get caught?_ he chastised himself.

"Tie him up and bring him here. We need to have a word."

"And you can't manage that without having my wrists and feet tied together? If you're supposed to be one of Logan's top commanders, I'm not surprised his kingdom is in such a state," Ben spat as the men wrestled him into his bonds. "You're afraid of a mere captain with a hangover?"

Ugly shot him a grin. "Now, now. Let's keep it civilized. I'm Lieutenant Wilson and I'll be your interrogator today."

Ben felt his lips jerk into a smirk. "**Now** I'm insulted. They sent a **lieutenant** to interrogate me? You know this is insubordination, right? I outrank you, Sparky."

His little quip was met with a swift punch to his stomach and his bound limbs kept him from doubling over in pain. The man could _punch_.

"Not since you joined the resistance, **Finn**," Wilson spat at him. "And I advise you to keep your mouth shut unless I ask you a question."

"You see, that might be a problem. I was born with this inability to shut up when told to," Ben groaned and he was met with another punch to the stomach.

"Then let's get right to the questioning before I kill you. Let's start with a simple one: Where's the princess?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ben hissed.

Wilson hit him again. "Don't play dumb, Finn. We know you're travelling with her or did you conveniently miss the wanted posters?"

"Well, you know, those posters are so vague. "Treason"? What does tha-" Ben's reply was cut off by Wilson punching him through the face. "You asked me a question, Wilson," Ben retorted and tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth. "And can you lay of the face?"

"It was rhetorical and if I get another smart comment out of you, I'm going to use more than my fist. Understand?" Ben stayed silent, this time earning a swift kick to his knee. "I said, understand?" Wilson shouted in his face and kicked him again. Ben bit back a cry, but gave a wordless nod.

"Good. Now, let's try this again: Where is the princess?"

"Like hell I'll tell you," Ben hissed in response and another punch hit his mouth.

As Ben spit out the blood in his mouth, Wilson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Seems you insist on being stubborn. I guess I'm going to have to resort to more **drastic** measures." Wilson turned to the man standing next him, wearing a sadistic snarl on his scarred face. "Go fetch our other guest."

"So you need your friends to help you? I'm never going to tell you were she is, so just give it up," Ben managed, struggling to breathe.

Another insult was on the tip of his tongue when the wooden door swung open, revealing a tall, thin man wearing a deep purple doublet with a golden chestpiece and cloak. A sneer was on his lips and there was absolutely no emotion in his dark eyes. Even with the obvious differences, he could clearly see the family resemblance to the woman he was trying to protect.

"Well, if it isn't his **royal majesty**. I'm thrilled."

The king turned his cold gaze to look him in the eyes. "Be quiet, cur. Who is this man, Wilson? I don't appreciate you using my resources for trivial issues," he asked, his eyes never leaving Ben's.

"This is Benjamin Finn, your majesty. I have it on good authority that he knows where the princess is," Wilson replied.

"And I'm not going to tell you, so both of you can just **go to hell**!" Wilson's fist connected with Ben's cheek again and he felt the bone crack. Another fist swung towards him, but the king stopped his guard with the wave of his hand.

"Stop. He can't tell you where Annabelle is if you cave in his mouth. You said this was Major Swift's right hand man? Then he will be just as stubborn under physical pain. It seems you will need to try another approach," the king said simply.

Wilson gave a small nod. "I have one more trick up my sleeve before I give up, your majesty." The huge man gave a nod to his henchman and before he could realise what was going on, Ben was yanked to his feet and shoved against the stone wall, his already broken cheek pressing against the rough surface. Another pair of hands tore off what remained of his shirt, leaving his torso bare.

Ben heard Wilson confer quietly with the king and he tried to think of a way to escape. Unfortunately, even if he managed to fight off the guards, there was the added problem that he was pretty beat up. Plus, he might have a broken rib judging from the pain when he breathed.

Wilson returned and Ben felt his heart drop when he saw what he was carrying. The few torches in the dungeon illuminated a thick black whip in the lieutenant's hand.

"This is the same whip I used on that traitor, Swift. I think it's only fitting I use it one you, Finn," Wilson said with a sinister grin, walking behind Ben to get a clear shot at his back. "He also refused to talk, but even he could keep from crying out in pain and I doubt you're going to be any different. After all, you Old Guard weaklings are all the same."

Ben bit back a retort, aware that Wilson didn't need an excuse to start whipping him.

"So, Finn, where is the princess?"

Ben stayed quiet, staring ahead. Even after steeling himself for the inevitable strike, the lash from the whip nearly made him scream in pain. He bit his lip so hard to keep himself from crying out that he tasted blood again. _One._

"I'll ask again, where is the princess?" The second lash hurt just as much as the first. _Two_.

Why was he doing this? _Three._ He could just give them up and be on his merry way. _Four._ But he couldn't. _Five._ Ben would rather die than give up Annabelle and the rest of the resistance. _Six._ He wondered how much he could take before he would succumb to the pain and slip into Death's inviting embrace. _Seven._ Oddly enough, the only thing that upset him at that moment was that he wouldn't get to apologize to Annabelle and not the fact that he's going to die. _Eight. _ Ben had made peace with his mortality long ago. _Nine._

Ben eventually stopped counting the lashes as they all started to run together. The edge of his vision was starting to blur, but he forced himself to stay conscious.

"Stop." The king's voice reverberated in the dungeon and Ben couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped him. "Wilson, find another way."

The henchmen tossed Ben back on the chair as Wilson threw the whip across the room. "I'm impressed, Finn. Even Swift didn't last this long before he passed out."

Ben couldn't believe Swift had endured this torture and still lived. _He must have believed that Annabelle would save Albion,_ Ben realized. The thought that his mentor had believed enough in their future ruler to die for her strengthened his resolve and he vowed to do anything to keep her safe.

"What did this girl do to make all of you so loyal to her?" Wilson wondered aloud. "Swift I can understand, he was always a supporter of the underdog, but you, Finn? You had a future in the army, but you threw it away because of a little girl who is in over her head. Did she promise you riches, Finn? A position of power?"

It took all of Ben's new resolve not to respond and he felt his tired muscles stiffen in anger.

"Or is it something else?" A sneer spread over the man's scarred lips. "She is a beautiful woman and all of us here know how much Mister Finn loves a beautiful woman. But is she enough to die for?"

"I can only think of one other thing that would drive a man to protect her as vigilantly as you are doing right now." Ben knew where Wilson was heading with this, but he still felt his blood boil.

"You must really be head over heels, Finn. It's so sad that you'll never be good enough for her."

Ben bit down on his already ragged lip to stop himself.

"What princess would let a soldier, especially a soldier with a past like yours touch her?" Wilson grinned evilly at his widened eyes. "Yes, I know all about your little bout in Bloodstone, Finn. From what I've heard, you've done so many things to so many women that your little princess never want to come near you again."

"Shut…up…" Ben hissed. His sight was starting to blur again and he could see stars forming in his field of vision.

"How does it feel? Knowing that that **boy** she'd hung around with had gotten to sleep with her while you're reduced to lusting from afar?"

"Go…to…hell," Ben whispered hoarsely. "You can go…ahead and kill me, but…I won't tell you where she…is. Never."

"Mister Finn, it's time for Annabelle to come home." Ben caught the king giving the lieutenant a disgusted glare. "We're just trying to stop her from hurting herself. She's a mere **girl**, Mister Finn. She doesn't know what this revolution will do to this country. I'm trying to save it."

"Oh? So…that's why you killed one…of your most faithful…soldiers like a sick dog? That's why you forced her…to kill her fiancé or a group of your…**subjects**? Is that why you left Industrial in the hands…of **Reaver**?" Ben managed, breathing heavily. "You misguided…arse!"

The king's jaw clenched and for moment Ben thought he would explode, but Logan's neutral expression remained intact. "We're done here. We can try again tomorrow." With this the king swept out of the room and Ben was unceremoniously dumped back into his cell.

"This isn't over, Finn. Try to get some rest. I'd hate to have you die on me before I get your little princess," Wilson sneered before leaving the room.

The heavy door swung shut and Ben was left in silence. He managed to crawl to the mat in the corner, his bruised body protesting all the way. "I promise, Bells, I won't let them get you. Even if I have to die, I won't let them get you," he vowed. As he fell into a fitful sleep, his last thoughts were of the princess's soft smile.

oOoOoOo

_AN: There we go! This chapter kind of came out of nowhere…I wanted to have Logan make an appearance and meet Ben, of course! I seriously doubt that Ben wouldn't do something stupid when drunk and full of grief and I went with it. I hope you liked it!_


	16. Chapter 16

_AN: Hello there! I'm glad to say that I finally found an internet connection that doesn't suck! Thanks to all of you that have written reviews, added this to their favourite stories and added it to their story alert subscriptions! You guys keep me motivated!_

_Chapter 16_

Soft rain fell in the castle courtyard as Annabelle snuck around the perimeter of the stone walls, her dark cloak allowing her to blend into the shadows.

As she ducked behind a very low wall to avoid another guard, she silently cursed her father for making the castle almost impenetrable. Anyone who wasn't intimately familiar with the castle would've fallen prey to the traps or gotten caught long before her, but even with her extensive knowledge she was running out of hiding places.

One of the castle servants, a young man helping the revolution, had shown up at her room, anxiously describing how a blond man matching Ben's description was brought into the dungeon earlier in the day. She'd rushed over without even telling Walter that she was attempting to sneak into the castle, knowing full well that the old man would try to stop her and in a way she blamed herself for letting Ben leave in his emotional state. She should have tried harder to talk some sense into him. Or knocked him out, whichever one would have been easier.

"Ben, if your life wasn't already threatened, I'd threaten it myself," she mumbled. The princess uttered a sigh of relief as she spotted the handle of the hidden trap door that lead to the dungeon. She was pretty sure that she was the only one that knew about it, so she doubted that it would be guarded.

The disused tunnel was ripe with cobwebs and she quickly slip inside, very careful not to make a sound. The relatively short tunnel opened into the dimly lit dungeon and her eyes had to adjust to lack of light. Her father had closed off the dungeons when he took the throne, claiming that there was no need for it, and it was clearly in a state of disrepair. Only one of the cells' steel bars were intact and the dirty floor was littered with chains, ropes, broken barrels and what seemed to be weapons of torture. Drops of blood also splattered the rough floor and a single torch illuminated the depressing room.

A figure was huddled on the scrap of blanket in the corner of the cell and she couldn't tell if it was breathing at all.

"Ben," she breathed and rushed to the door, blasting it off its hinges with a force push. It felt to the ground with a loud clang, but she couldn't care less about anything else but the unmoving man lying on the ground.

His normally wavy blond hair was matted with dried blood and his face was mottled with the beginning of vicious bruises. She couldn't bring herself to look at what scars would be on his upper body.

"By Avo's grace, Ben, what have they done to you?" She brushed a lank lock of hair out of his eyes, her fingers lightly searching for any sign of a pulse. The flutter of his heart was faint, but present. At least he was still alive.

Ben gave the slightest twitch before his eyes fluttered open, the usually bright blue dull and unfocussed. "You know, mind, you are…one cruel…sod. Do you…really want me to…believe that…**she'd** be…here?" he muttered, closing his eyes again. "Though…for the next mirage…how 'bout a little less…clothes…'kay?"

"Ben, wake up," she whispered, unable to stop a relieved smile from spreading over her lips as she gently stroked his face. "It's me."

"No, it's…not. If it was really…the princess, she'd…insult me. Then…hit me. I'm an idiot after all," he rambled, still not looking at her.

Stifling a sigh, she gave him a light slap against his arm. "Ben, you perverted idiot, wake up. If the guards find us here, it won't be pleasant," she insisted, tugging at his arm. "Come on, Captain."

"Bells?" His eyes flew open again, his gaze seeking hers. "Bells…How…?" It was clear that Ben was hovering very close to the brink of unconsciousness and struggled to focus on her face. "Is…is that…really you?"

"It really me. Stay with me, Ben. I'll get you out of here," she replied, pulling both of them to their feet. _Thank Avo for Hero strength,_ she mused.

"Bells, I have…to tell you…something. I….I'm…s-s-" Ben struggled, but she cut him off by pressing a finger to his mouth.

"You can tell me later. Save your strength," she replied, shooting him a small smile. "If you die on my, so help me, I'm going to bring you back from the dead so that I can kill you myself."

"Sorry," he breathed before Annabelle felt him stagger against her and she realized that he must have passed out.

"Come on, Ben. Don't die on me," she whispered frantically and adjusted her arm so that he leaned against her side. There was no way she was going to be able to get him to the Cock in the Crown and, judging from his injuries, he needed immediate help. Supporting his weight against her, she fumbled inside her vest for the guild seal. The loud clearing from someone's throat, however, made her freeze.

"Oh dear…It seems your brother was wrong. I told him that you'd come looking for your little captain, but he didn't believe me. He said that you'd still be too hung up on that noble priss." The man that stepped out of the shadows was easily two heads taller than her and his thick limbs were ridged with scars.

"Can I help you? I'm assuming you're the one who nearly killed this man," she hissed, clutching Ben even closer. The irony that their roles in Reaver's mansion had been reversed didn't escape her, but didn't amuse her either. Just like Reaver, this man would kill Ben if he got the chance. It was clear that the only reason that he was still alive was because they had wanted to find her.

"I see why he's obsessed with you. You are even more beautiful in person," the man continued, stepping closer. "And that fire in your eyes? Simply breathtaking." The smirk on his face didn't waver and she wanted nothing more than to slap it off his face. Again, the parallels didn't escape her. However, this time she wasn't unarmed and up against a Hero of Skill. This man was nothing against her and she refused to be the victim. What he'd done to Ben was inexcusable.

"Are you sure you want to do this? As much as I want to kick your arse from here to Samarkand, my father taught me to always allow my weaker enemies the option of leaving," she replied, gently lowering Ben to the ground and unsheathing her sword.

"I'm offering you the same courtesy, Princess. You're still nothing but a little girl. I don't believe any of this Hero nonsense," Wilson retorted, cracking his knuckles. "Your brother wants you alive, but I don't see the harm in a bit of maiming."

"It's your funeral. You're going to pay for hurting him," she sneered and leaped toward the man, a will attack already bursting from her fingers. The surprised expression on his face was almost comical as the attack hit him square in the chest, sending him staggering backwards. She hardly gave him time to register the attack before she sheathed her sword in his torso, warm blood gushing over her hand over the hilt.

"Hmm…two seconds…I would have loved to extend the same hospitality you extended to my friend here, but I was taught to grant quick and painless deaths. You're lucky I respect my teachers too much to let that lesson go to waste," she hissed into his ear before dropping him to the ground with a loud thud.

She wiped the man's blood of her sword with his jacket and hurried to Ben's side. His breath was becoming more and more ragged and his pulse grew even fainter. If she didn't act quickly, he was going to die.

A few seconds later she was standing in the map room.

"Welcome to the- What happened, Princess?" Jasper asked, the shock evident on his face.

"I'll tell you later. Just help me get him to the couch," Annabelle cut in curtly. Her butler helped her carry the unconscious soldier to the couch in the dressing room and gently lowered him onto his side. When he hit the couch, he whimpered in pain, but didn't come to.

Annabelle glanced quickly over his injuries to see which were the most serious. She carefully ran her hands over his torso to feel for any broken bones and sure enough, a few of his ribs were broken.

"Jasper, hand me those healing potions," she addressed Jasper who reappeared armed with medical supplies. He handed her one of the red bottles and she carefully poured it down Ben's throat, pinching his nose to force him to swallow.

His breathing became less laboured and she gently lowered him onto his stomach so that she could tend to his back. She and Jasper gasped in unison when his back came into view. Countless lash wounds, all at least a centimetre deep, crossed over his back and were slowly oozing blood.

"Why couldn't I find you sooner, Ben?" she wondered quietly and started rubbing antiseptic ointment over the wounds. Though he was unconscious, he still winced in pain. She told Jasper that she could handle it on her own and that he should go prepare a guest bedroom for him.

She counted seventy-five lashes. When she finished bandaging his torso and stitched the wound on his cheek, Ben started whispering in his sleep. While she cleaned up the supplies she'd used to fix him up, she tried to figure out who he was talking to. She couldn't figure that out, but it was clearly about what happened earlier.

"Tell Bells, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I should never have…Please, let her forgive me." She could barely hear what he said next, but it sounded distinctly like, "I…I love her."

She dropped the cloth she was using to clean his back and stumbled backward. He **loved** her? How…what…why? Her head was still reeling when Jasper returned.

"Madam, the room is ready." When his gaze settled on her face, his expression turned to that of concern. "What's wrong, Princess?"

She knew she could tell Jasper anything, but she had to figure this out for herself. _He's probably delirious. Yes, that's it. He was tortured and doesn't know what's going on,_ she tried to convince herself.

"Nothing. I'm just in a bit of shock after I saw the wounds inflicted on him. Can you help me get him to his room? He needs some sleep," she said hurriedly, trying to sound nonchalant.

From his face, he didn't believe her, but didn't ask anything more. Carefully, they lifted him and led him to the guest room at the far end of the map room. After gently depositing him on the bed and tucking the sheets around him, Annabelle left the room, Jasper following closely behind.

"Can I ask what happened, highness?" Jasper asked when he finished brewing tea for the both of them.

She took a deep breath and started at the beginning of the previous day, when he found her at Reaver's Manor.

"When I woke up and saw him standing there, I thought I was seeing things. I mean, how could he risk his life to save me after I'd acted like such a bitch? And when he told me the truth about his past, I thought it too good to be true. He wasn't the scoundrel that I thought he was."

She looked at the floor, embarrassed. "And then I asked him if he'd found the type of woman he was looking for. I don't know why I did it, but at that moment…though he'd been flirting with me the whole sodding time since I'd met him, I wanted to hear him say that **I **was the type of woman he was looking for. Why did I do that?" she whispered to herself.

With a shake of her head, she continued. "Then he said yes, he had found her. And then he used Page as an example. How was I supposed to react to that? I'm sure Walter already told you what happened in the map room, right?"

Jasper gave a slight nod. "He was quite upset about your…caboodling."

"And right after that, Major Swift was executed. Ben disappeared and after he'd been missing for fourteen hours, I had to find him. When I found him in that dungeon so brutalized, I wanted nothing more than to kill the man that did it to him. I wanted to make him hurt for everything he'd done to him." She dropped her head into her hands. "What's going on with me, Jasper? The one moment I hate him and the next, I think he's the most wonderful man in the world."

"I think you're in love, Princess," Jasper stated simply.

"But I can't be in love with him! He's a soldier, Jasper." As soon as the words left her lips, she realised how spoiled she sounded and knew that Jasper was going to misunderstand her words.

Sure enough, Jasper fixed her with a patronising look. "Your father married a commoner, Annabelle. Don't forget that."

"This isn't about him being a commoner, it's about him being a soldier. When I was gathering support, I helped a woman visit her husband's grave. From what she told me, he sounded so much like Ben. Charming, handsome, determined. He died fighting hollow men in Mourning Wood. She told me, "Never marry a soldier, that's what they say. I'll never love another man like I loved him". He's been dead for a year and she couldn't visit his **grave**, let alone get over him.

Annabelle took another deep breath and admitted that which she'd kept hidden for so long. "I won't be able to handle losing him on a battlefield, Jasper. I can't be in love with a man whose life it is to fight, especially since he'll be fighting in my service."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm not strong enough to say goodbye to another person that I love, not when I don't have a choice in the matter."

"Have you asked him how he feels about all of this, princess?"

She wrung her hands as she struggled to arrange her thoughts. "I can't. I can't tell him how I feel and then break his heart later."

"It sounds like it's already too late for that."

"I know. Either way, both of us are going to get hurt," she whispered. She got to her feet. "I'm going to sit with him for a while, until he wakes up."

Jasper looked at her with concern. "He's going to be out for a while."

"I want to be there when he wakes up." She turned and left for his room, pausing in the door for a moment. "Thank you, Jasper."

"You can talk to me anytime, Princess. Remember that."

She shot him a thankful smile and headed to the room where Ben was sleeping. Once there, she pulled up a chair next to the bed and waited for him to come back to her.


	17. Chapter 17

_AN: Hello, lovely readers! Once again, thank you so very much for all the wonderful reviews and all the favourites and story alerts. You guys really are the best!_

_I wanted Sparrow to feature somewhere in this story and I wanted {INSERT SPOILER} to make an appearance earlier than in the actual game, so this chapter appeared in my head. I hope you enjoy it!_

_Chapter 17_

Ben found himself in darkness, surrounded by taunting voices. "She'll never love you," Wilson's voice sneered.

"You're just a common soldier," said the voices of those countless nobles he'd fallen in love with.

"A common soldier, a peasant, a scoundrel. Pick the one you like, Finn, but not one of them will make you desirable to me in the least," Annabelle's lovely voice declared haughtily.

Ben's knees gave way under him and he sagged to the ground. In the faint light he saw his brothers. _"You couldn't help them. You didn't try to save them. They're gone because of you!"_ a sinister voice whispered.

"No!" Ben cried. "It wasn't my fault!"

Major Swift appeared in his brothers' place. "You didn't help me, Ben. I was like your father, why didn't you help me?" he asked, his voice pleading. "I needed your help. I'm dead because of you!"

Ben clutched his head in his hands. "No! I couldn't have helped you! I couldn't let Annabelle die!"

"And why not?" Annabelle's voice asked behind him. "Is it because you're in love with me? It's so sweet that the little soldier thinks that I'll love him back."

He whirled around to the source of the voice and found Annabelle in her evening gown, more beautiful, yet more demonic than he'd ever seen her, standing in the distance. Next to her, Elliot wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Why would she choose you, when didn't want me or any other man, Finn? You'll never be good enough for her," Elliot said and turned to kiss Annabelle passionately.

Ben tried to move and get to his feet, but he couldn't move his legs. When they finally broke apart, she shot him a mocking smile.

"You're a scoundrel, Captain. A gambler, a drunk and a womanizer. Why would I choose you?"

Ben felt his heart gripped by despair. _How does it feel to know that you're not good enough? That you'll __**never**__ deserve her? Give into the darkness, let it consume you. Broken little toy," _the voice growled.

"Please!" he pled. "Someone, help me!"

Just as he cried those words, the darkness was banished by a flash of bright light. In front of him stood a man with very familiar kind green eyes, dark brown hair and a gentle smile. He could even see that the man had the same slightly overlapping front teeth that Annabelle had. The Hero King himself.

"Be calm, Benjamin," his deep voice said. "You need not fear the darkness. If you do, it'll consume you."

"Please, tell Bells I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I never should have…Please let her forgive me," he pleaded. "I…I love her. I love her more than I thought possible."

"I know, Benjamin. But know that the path before you will be difficult. Love is ultimately selfish and Annabelle is the princess and will soon be queen. Think hard about what the two of you will have to give up to be together," he said gently and he began to fade away.

"Wait! Are you really the king or am I going insane?" he called after him.

He gave him a smile. "You're not going insane. Just remember, do not fear the darkness. Go now, your princess needs you, more than she realizes. Support her, help her get to her goal and help her fight the darkness. Oh, and Benjamin?…Take care of my daughter. She's stronger than she believes she is and she is capable of anything. Please tell her that when she needs to hear it most," was his parting words before he disappeared completely.

Ben wanted to ask him what he meant, but he was yanked back to consciousness. He found himself in a strange room in a very comfortable bed. He noticed his ribcage didn't hurt as much and that his torso was bandaged. He was still trying to figure out where he was when he saw Annabelle sitting in a chair, hunched over on the bed and sleeping on her arms. Her hair was dishevelled and from her swollen eyes, he knew she'd been crying.

He carefully extended a hand to her and gently stroked a few tendrils of hair out of her face, just to make sure she was actually real. He felt her stir at his touch and she looked at him blearily.

"Ben?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Hey, Sleepyhead. Are you expecting some other devilishly handsome captain?" he joked lightly.

"Unless there was another captain stupid enough to get himself captured, no," she replied, her eyes flooded with relief. "How could you do that, Ben?"

"You know, drunkenness, grief, idiocy. A mixture of all of the above," he replied with a pained smile. "How long was I out?"

"A while. Jasper was worried, but I told him that you are too stubborn to die." Her expression turned serious. "I counted seventy-five lashes. Why didn't you tell him what he wanted to know?"

"He wanted to know where you were and I refused to tell him. I couldn't do that to you," he said quietly.

"Ben," she whispered. "I can't believe you would go through all those punched and whippings for me."

He trailed his hand over her cheek. "I would do anything for you, Bells. Anything," he vowed and he saw more tears fall from her eyes. "Hey, come here." Careful not to rip open the wounds on his back, he pulled her up on the bed so that she was cradled in his arms. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm so sorry…I'm so sorry for what I said in the map room…I didn't mean it," she choked out, her tears warm on his bare chest.

"Hey, we both said things we didn't mean to. If anyone deserves to apologize, it's me. You didn't deserve me yelling at you because of Swiftie's death. I…I shouldn't have taken it out on you," he whispered, stroking her hair.

She pulled away from him to meet his gaze and he could see nothing but sincerity in her eyes. "I still shouldn't have said it. I was jealous and tired and confused…" She trailed off and worried her lower lip between her teeth, one of her nervous habits that he loved about her.

"What were you jealous and confused over?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "If you don't want to tell me, I promise not to manhandle you again," he added quickly and he could see a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"I promise to tell you one day. Right now, you need to rest. Wilson really did a number on you."

"Thank you again for rescuing me, Bells. I was completely wrong in ever calling **you** a damsel in distress," he said with a smile.

"Way to ruin the stereotype, hotshot," she quipped and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Now go to sleep. We'll need to continue the revolution in a few days." A soft hand caressed his cheek and she gave him a gentle smile with those adorable overlapping teeth showing clearly.

Suddenly, he couldn't stop himself. More quickly than he thought he could move, he pulled her down against him, his lips claiming hers. She tasted exactly the same as he remembered. There was no other way to describe it except that it was…well, unmistakably Annabelle.

His hands ran through her soft hair and he drank in her intoxicating scent as he consumed her as fully as he could. Her response was hesitant and so maddeningly gentle, her lips soft and yielding under his. He felt his breath hitch as her fingers threaded through his unruly hair and came to rest at the back of his neck. Emboldened by her touch, he moved a hand to her waist and slipped a hand under her shirt, stroking her silky soft skin. As he did this, he felt the ridge of a thick scar on her lower back and he felt a flash of anger at whoever hurt this perfect woman.

His hand moved higher, but as soon as he felt the cloth of her bra, she went rigid. As quickly as they started, she pulled away, her eyes wide.

"I…I can't do this," she whispered, her hand touching her lips where he'd kissed her. Despite her protest, he could see that her eyes were dark with desire. "I'm sorry," she rushed out and got to her feet, looking scared and confused at the same time.

"Wait, Bells, I…I shouldn't have done that." He struggled to sit upright, wincing at the sudden burst of pain. She looked torn between the decision to dart out of the room and rush to his aid. "I should have asked you…no, I shouldn't have done that in the first place…please, don't go," he pled, reaching out to take her hand in his. "Just…just stay with me for a while…I promise I'll behave."

"Ben…" she whispered, clearly unsure. "…you need your rest."

"Just sit with me, please?" He couldn't admit it to her, but he was scared that when he fell asleep, that nightmare would haunt him again. A chill ran down his spine at the mere thought of those taunting voices again.

"Alright," she said resignedly and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "But you need to promise to take it easy."

"I promise. I won't try a stunt like that again, you have my word." As he said those words, a wave of exhaustion hit him and he struggled to keep his eyes open. "I wanted to ask you something…" His words were cut off with a huge yawn and he saw Annabelle smiling slightly at the display.

"You can ask me later. Now go to sleep, Captain. I promise I won't leave," she laughed.

"Okay." As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was gone.

oOoOoOo

Annabelle looked at the sleeping man in the bed next to her, looking more carefree than usual. Yes, Ben certainly was all smiles, jokes and easy laughter. How could he have suffered so much heartache and pain and still remain so optimistic?

She heard the door open behind her and looked up to see Jasper standing there, a silent question in his eyes. As quietly as she could, she got out of her seat to speak to her butler in the map room. "He's fine. He woke up for a few minutes, but I told him to go back to sleep," she said in answer to Jasper's questioning look. The old man looked relieved and his lips split into a small smile.

"That's good news. I was really worried," he sighed. "Well, you'd better get back to Walter and Page at the hideout."

"I'll go later. I promised Ben that I'd stay with him for the night. From the way he was thrashing all night, I guess he had horrible nightmares. Besides, I'm not too eager to see Walter yet."

"I'll move the spare cot in there," Jasper said with a nod, but she stopped him.

"Don't worry, Jasper. The chair is fine. Besides, I don't want to wake him up."

"Alright, Princess," he replied, the disapproval clear on his face. She gave her butler a quick kiss on the cheek before going back to the spare room and settling in the chair, letting herself drift into sleep.

oOoOoOo

Ben woke up the next morning, feeling considerably more rested that he had in a long time. He turned over to see Annabelle sitting in the same chair, fast asleep. Quietly, he struggled to his feet and started to the door, but his movement woke Annabelle up with a start. She looked confused for a moment before her eyes finally focussed.

"Ben? What are you doing up?"

"I needed to get out of that bed." He went over to where she was sitting and helped her to her feet, hearing the popping of her joints as she stretched out. "When I asked you to stay, I didn't mean all night. I feel terrible that you had to sleep like that," he apologized as they made their way out of the door.

"I saw you doing it once and I had to try it," she replied, rolling her neck. "Clearly not going to happen again."

Ben started to form a reply, but he was literally knocked speechless when he entered the circular room. It was tastefully decorated, with plush looking couches and books littering almost every imaginable surface, various bookmarks and folds marking places.

"Where are we?" he asked in awe.

"Welcome to the Sanctuary," a tall man with grey hair announced as he entered from one of the rooms. "It's good to see you awake, Master Finn."

"Um…thanks," Ben replied hesitantly. Annabelle must have noticed his discomfort, for she quickly jumped to his rescue.

"Ben, I'd like you to meet Jasper. Jasper, Captain Benjamin Finn," she said.

"So you're Jasper? Good to finally meet you!" Ben said and shook the man's hand eagerly.

"As I said before, it's good to see you awake, Master Finn. You had us worried for a moment."

"Please, call me Ben. Even the princess has stopped calling me Finn."

"That's what you think, Finn. As for Jasper, he won't stop using titles. Ever. So don't even try to convince him otherwise," Annabelle interrupted. "Jasper, would you see to it that the Captain is escorted back to his room? He really needs to rest."

"I've been out of action for too long. I'm going with you to the meeting," Ben interjected. "You're not leaving my sight again, Princess."

She let out a huge sigh. "Fine. Just promise me that you'll take it easy? I'm scared the wounds might tear open again."

"It warms my hearts so much that you care about me, Princess," Ben remarked with a smile. The healing potions he'd drunk earlier were really making him feel better. He was almost back to his old self.

She shook her head. "Let's just go," she said.

"Don't I get a tour?" Ben asked with a raised eyebrow at Annabelle.

"Fine. There's the armoury, dressing room, treasury and bedrooms," she said hurriedly, pointing to the doors in turn.

"Princess, shouldn't you be more polite to Master Finn?" Jasper asked, giving her a pointed look.

"Yeah, Princess," Ben quipped and he saw Annabelle set her jaw.

"Shut up, Finn," she growled and turned back to the map. "If you don't want to stay here, come on and take my hand."

He walked over and stood next to her. "Really, Princess? I can think of easier ways for you to get on my good side."

"Just take it and stop being silly," she grumbled, clearing getting slightly irritated.

He opened his mouth with a quick reply when she grabbed his hand in hers and suddenly they were enveloped in a flash of white.

oOoOoOo

They arrived in the back alleys of Bowerstone Industrial a few seconds later.

"Why couldn't you do that when we went to Silverpines?" Ben asked her when the world stopped spinning and she could see straight again. No matter how many times Annabelle teleported, she couldn't get used to the sensation.

"I can only teleport to places I've already been. Come on," she replied and started to make her way to the Resistance headquarters. Before she could leave, Ben grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to face him.

"What now, Finn?" she asked impatiently, but her heart was racing. His touch was sending shocks up her arm and his blue eyes made her feel as if he was looking into her soul. His reply was to push her against wall and crush his lips against hers. Just like before, she felt her knees melt at his kisses and she marvelled at his experience once again.

It took every ounce of self-control she possessed to push him away. "What are you doing?" she asked carefully.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do just that," he replied simply, still looking her right in the eye.

"Ben…I told you I can't do this. Not now," she whispered, losing herself in his piercing blue eyes.

He traced the Will line on her temple with his thumb. "Sorry, but when I look at you I can't help myself."

"Ben, I-I…Please, just…don't. Don't," she pled quietly. The kiss had been hungry, almost desperate and for once she realized how deeply he actually cared for her and it scared her. _He loves me, I heard him say that…Can I…can I tell him that I love him too? Is that even what I'm feeling?_

She wasn't sure if she could give herself to another man like she did with Elliot. She knew that if she opened herself to him, her heart wouldn't be able to handle saying goodbye to the blond captain. _I have to be absolutely, unquestionably sure about his before I say anything,_ she decided.

"Fine. I'll keep myself reigned in. Civilised it is," Ben conceded, taking a step back.

All she could muster was to nod wordlessly, questions still darting around in her mind, and head to the headquarters, trying to ignore the captain who was whistling merrily next to her. While they walked, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He caught her gaze and shot her a sly wink. She felt heat creeping up her neck and she looked away, trying to hide her face.

"I know what you're thinking, Princess," he remarked with a smug smile.

"Oh really? Do you know that I'm thinking how much you're going to hurt when those healing potions wear off, Captain?" she replied, trying to save face.

Ben let out a laugh. "Pain I can handle, Princess. Being spurned by a beautiful woman? Not so much."

She didn't bother to reply, lest she start blushing again. They walked to the headquarters in silence.

When they finally reached the entrance to the sewer, she turned to face Ben. "Ben, are you sure you're alright about what happened to Major Swift? I can promise you Walter and Page are going to want to talk about it," she asked softly.

A dark look crossed his face, but it disappeared almost immediately. "I'm still mad as hell, but I'm not going to break down, if that's what you're afraid of."

She gave a slight nod and they headed inside. _It can wait. As soon as all of this revolution stuff is done, I'll tell him. Then we can figure it out…together._

That mere thought was enough to bring a small smile to her lips.


	18. Chapter 18

_AN: Hey, guys! I'm so sorry for the long wait! These past few weeks have been insanely hectic with tests and projects and I didn't have internet…but enough rambling. I'm back and I have the next chapter for all you lovely readers. Thank you for the favourites, story alerts and reviews! I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see so much interest in my little story! I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)_

_Chapter 18_

When Ben and Annabelle finally made it to the war room, Walter and Page were already deep in a discussion.

"How can we trust his word? We don-" Page stopped and turned around to look at the two newcomers. "Annabelle, Mister Finn, glad you could finally join us," she remarked sarcastically.

"Sorry. Getting kidnapped and tortured really takes a chunk out of your schedule," Ben replied, his voice equally sarcastic.

"Both of you, stop it. Ben, glad to see you are alright," Walter interrupted quickly. Annabelle was glad that Walter had probably decided not to yell at Ben in his state, but knew the bomb was going to explode eventually.

"That's all thanks to the Princess," Ben replied shooting her a cheeky wink. Annabelle ignored him, but couldn't help the small smile spreading over her lips.

Page, as usual, looked unimpressed at the two's exchange. "If you two lovebirds are done, we need to get on with our plan," she said quickly and shot Ben a dirty look, obviously very irritated.

"We have a plan? That's a switch," Ben remarked and Page shot him another glare, thinly veiled contempt boiling under the surface of her gaze. Despite this, Ben just kept a smirk in his face and shot the resistance leader a wink.

In that moment, Annabelle couldn't help but understand why Ben liked irritating Page. It was funny. She also couldn't believe that she ever thought that Ben was attracted to Paige instead of herself. While he was also always flirty and sarcastic with her, he usually stopped when she shot him a glare that showed him exactly what she thinking. With Paige, he just kept jabbing until someone else told him to stop.

"Before his death, Major Swift sent us a message," Walter interrupted quickly before Page could reply. From his expression, it was clear that he was biting back a scathing remark at Ben's behaviour. Walter probably reasoned that since Major Swift had been executed and Ben had been captured, Ben got a free pass for a couple of days.

_It's just a pity that Ben doesn't realise that Walter has a memory of an elephant and all of this is going to come back to bite him in the arse,_ she thought to herself. _That's going to be so damn funny when that happens._

"By the way, you have my condolences, Ben. I knew he meant a lot to you," Walter added with a sincere expression.

Ben looked away for a moment. "He meant a lot to many people."

"At least he died a noble death," Walter said in a sympathetic tone.

Annabelle felt rather than saw Ben get angry at this statement. His entire body went rigid. "He was beaten, tortured and executed in the crudest manner possible. Let's not pretend that his death was dignified or noble," Ben sneered.

"And yet he didn't give away the Resistance or the Princess. I call that noble," Walter reminded him and Annabelle saw Ben look away again, clearly ashamed. "Oh, and Ben? Thank you for not giving us away. I know it must have been hard for you to keep quiet."

Ben looked even more uncomfortable at Walter's words and Annabelle decided to intervene. "What does the message say?" Annabelle asked quickly, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Well, it's Swifty, so it's pretty straightforward," Walter replied with a shrug. ""You'll find allies in Aurora"."

"Aurora is a wasteland, devoid of any life. How can we trust this message?" Page argued.

"I trust Swifty. When he says that we'll find allies there, we will," Ben insisted.

Annabelle rubbed her temples, feeling the beginning of a headache forming. "So we're going to Aurora? Wonderful," she muttered.

"We'll need a boat," Walter stated and grabbed a pen and paper to start making a list. "And food, water, extra ammunition…" He trailed off, lost in his own world. Finally, he looked up at Ben and Annabelle, a warning clear in his eyes. "You two, go get the boat. I'll get the supplies and meet you at the dock. And no fraternizing."

"You'll need to go through the back alleys," Page added.

Ben looked unperturbed and once again, Annabelle was thankful for his calm in the face of disaster. "Fine. I know the way." He turned to Annabelle. "Let's go. I have an overwhelming urge to shoot something."

She nodded and they left through the back of the sewer. Just before they reached the heavy metal door that led to the outside, Annabelle pulled Ben to a stop.

"Are you sure you want to come along? You're not fully healed yet and I would kill myself if something happened to you," she insisted, looking him right in his sky-blue eyes.

He shot her his vexing smile. "Don't worry, Bells. I'm fine. Besides, I'm not about to send you to Aurora if I'm not there to protect you."

"You, protect me?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're forgetting that you are the one who was kidnapped and beaten up."

"And you were the one that was almost beheaded by a hollow man, mauled by a balverine and held hostage by a psychotic mogul. I think it's clear who needs who," he replied playfully.

"Hollow man, your fault. Balverine, your fault. And I helped you in Reaver's mansion as well," she argued.

His grin grew even wider. "I still fail to see how you think the Hollow Man thing was my fault."

"Whatever. Why don't we call it even and you promise me that you'll be careful?" she conceded.

"Aw, are you concerned about me?"

"I just don't want to see all my hard work to get you fixed up again end up being for nothing."

Ben leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Sure, Princess. Let's go," he said and started heading outside.

Annabelle stood there for a while, stunned, until she finally regained the use of her legs. _How can that man have such a huge effect on me? And why does he keep doing that…that kissing thing? I never told him that I wanted that, did I? If I remember correctly, I told him to stop!_

"Captain Finn, hold it right there," she commanded in her most regal tone. At her voice, Ben spun on his heel and faced her with an amused expression.

"What is it, Princess?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do…do you have everything you need? We won't be able to come back," she settled for saying. Though she fully intended to reprimand him over…something…she couldn't exactly figure out why she was upset.

From his expression, it was clear that he knew that that wasn't what she'd planned on saying, but mercifully kept his mouth shut. "I'm all set," he replied, lips still pulled into an amused smirk.

_Damn him and that smirk,_ she grumbled inwardly as she marched past him, very aware that he was holding back a laugh.

They started to head to the docks, evading patrols along the way. Eventually, they came to a gate with a guard and no possible way to avoid it.

"Do you have a plan?" she whispered, hiding out of sight from the guard.

"How do you know me, Princess?" he replied with a wink and started to head to the gate.

"That's why I asked ahead," she muttered and hurried after him.

"Hi there! You're one of Logan's elite guards, right?" Ben implored with a cheerful tone.

The man looked at him with a stern expression and Annabelle was afraid that they'd get shot on the spot. _I hope to the Light you're going somewhere with this, Ben,_ she thought with a sigh.

"Because my friend and I were just wondering what it would take to join you. You are so much better than us in the guard. I mean, just look at their outfits!" he continued on, undeterred.

"You are not supposed to be here. Leave. Now," the guard commanded.

"Don't you have leaflets or something we can take? Or maybe an autograph?" Ben pestered again.

"Leave or be exterminated," the guard warned again.

Ben shot a smile at Annabelle, which she returned gingerly. "See, even their words are stylish," he said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he ripped out his rifle and shot the guard in the head. "Okay, I admit. I didn't have a plan," he confessed with a shrug.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she remarked sarcastically. "You had me fooled for a moment."

"Your sarcasm wounds me, Princess," he said, clutching his chest melodramatically.

Rolling her eyes, she unsheathed her sword. "Whatever, Captain. Let's just get the boat and get out of here."

"Yeah. Let's show them what traitors are capable of."

The docks were remarkably well patrolled and the two rebels wasted precious time getting rid of them. As they fought through another wave of guards, Annabelle noticed that Ben was slowly getting winded and she knew that they had to hurry if she wanted to stop him from hurting himself even further.

"Damn it! These bastards are going to cut us off from the boats! Let's cut through the factory!" Ben cried while they fought through another group of guards. As soon as they fell dead, they ran as fast as they could through the huge wooden doors. "Be careful. There's gunpowder in here," he remarked when they arrived in the central room.

A crazy idea formed in Annabelle's head and a smile spread over her face.

"What?" Ben asked while eyeing her warily.

Before he could ask another question, a hoard of guards burst through the door. With a well-aimed fireball, Annabelle exploded the barrels behind them, causing most of the factory to be enveloped by further explosions. She grabbed Ben by the hand and dragged him out as fast as she could.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he asked, coughing violently when they reached the outside. "I told you to be careful, not shoot them!"

"It worked, didn't it?" she replied, shrugging and brushed stray bits of dust off her jacket.

The expression on his face was so incredulous, it was almost comical. "Do the words "I was standing three feet from a barrel of highly explosive powder" mean anything to you?" Suddenly, a disbelieving smile split over his face and he rolled his eyes. "You really are crazy."

"No, I take calculated risks. Besides, that's what you like about me," she said flirtingly, before she could help herself. _Where on earth did that come from?_

He shook his head good-naturedly. "It's certainly not your sparkling personality or the fact that you could kill me where I stand that makes me want to keep you around," he joked. "But enough about that. Let's get a boat."

Thanks to Page's explosion of the crane, as well as Annabelle's decimation of the factory, the rest of the way was mostly clear. It wasn't till they reached the quay that they were really in trouble.

Annabelle was so concerned with keeping enemies away from Ben so that he wouldn't overstrain himself, that she didn't notice the rifleman until it was too late.

"Look out!" She felt Ben's weight tackling her to the ground before she registered the warning, but not before a loud crack sounded. In a few seconds, she was back on her feet, getting rid of the last few soldiers in two swift flourishes and a fireball.

A loud groan alerted her to the fact that Ben still hadn't gotten up.

"Oh, Avo! Ben, are you alright?" she cried and rushed to his side. Sure enough, blood was seeping through multiple places in his uniform. The most noticeable was the large stain that was spreading on his shoulder.

His blue eyes looked unfocused. "We have **got** to stop running into each other like that," he joked feebly, clutching his shoulder.

"Come on. I need to get you back to the headquarters. There's no way you're going to Aurora in this state," she said gently, and bent to help him to his feet.

"Like I said before, there's no way you're leaving without me," he protested weakly.

"Stop being silly, Ben. You're going to bleed out."

"The blood flow is slowing down…"

She was about to reply when Walter burst through the door. "There you are! Let's go!" he roared. His gaze shifted to Ben, who was trying, unsuccessfully, to look unharmed. "Balls, what happened to you, boy?

"I was baking a pie to bring to Logan. What does it look like?" he snapped, swaying on his feet.

Annabelle quickly moved to support him. "It looks like his wounds are opening up. He needs to go to the headquarters," she argued and shot Ben a patronizing look.

"I'm not staying here, Bells. I'll be fine. I can recover on the boat, since it is bound to be a long trip anyway," Ben cut in.

"This is not a discussion, Ben! You're need to stay here." She could here shouting from the other side of the dock, which signalled more guards heading to their position. Annabelle was torn between leaving Ben in Bowerstone and taking him to Aurora. It made more sense for him to stay behind, but some selfish part of her wanted him to stay by her side. It didn't exactly help her decision that he'd said that he loved her in his sleep.

"Just decide, Anna! We're running out of time!" Walter was obviously getting anxious and started to push them in the direction of the boats.

"Fine. Let's just hurry," she decided and grabbed Ben's hand.

Walter approached a small, worn down rowboat. "It's not much, but it'll float," he said, though he sounded rather unconvinced.

"Or, we could take that and actually make it out of port," Ben interrupted, pointing to a sleek ship.

"Good point. Let's go," Walter conceded and they boarded the ship. "Who knows how to sail this thing?" he asked, looking lost amongst the contraptions.

"I do, but, as you've guessed, I'm kind of indisposed at this time. I can tell you what to do," Ben replied, his voice growing faint. Annabelle felt his strength gradually fade and she knew he was going to pass out from blood loss soon.

With Ben's instructions, Walter finally got the boat to start and they left Bowerstone far behind them.


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: Hello! I'm so sorry for the long delay on this update. I had no internet (again!) and things have just been crazy! A heartfelt thank you for those of you who have reviewed, favourited and added this to their story alerts. I really appreciate it!_

_Okay, I've always wondered about Hero healing and this is a little scenario I came up with where it might go a bit wrong. This is just a little filler before our crew lands in Aurora. Hope you enjoy and please tell me what you think!_

_Chapter 19_

After they left port, Annabelle guided Ben below deck to what seemed to be a bedroom, ignoring the dull ache in her side which she accredited to carrying the captain's weight. Unfortunately, they soon found out whose boat it was.

"Oh no," she groaned as she saw the red satin sheets and posters on the wall. "Of all the possible boats we could have stolen, we took Reaver's."

At this stage, Ben was too weak to reply and merely grunted. Snapping to attention, she gently set him down on the bed and set about to clean his wounds.

"Here, drink this," she said and poured a health potion down his throat. The colour returned to his face almost immediately.

"Thanks," he said gratefully and moved to sit upright so that she could bind his back. Carefully, she removed his jacket and shirt, ignoring the faint, yet distinctly roguish smile he was shooting her.

As she rubbed the antiseptic ointment on his back, she couldn't help but marvel at the definition of his muscles. She was so intent on inspecting his back that she started when he cleared his throat loudly.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I said, when you're done there, could you please see if the bullet is still in my shoulder?" he repeated, a smile in his voice.

She abruptly stopped with the salve. "What bullet? When did you get shot?" she asked, confused.

Ben chuckled softly, but it quickly changed to a pained groan. "I know I've done strange things before, but usually I don't tackle people on my side during a battle for no reason," he remarked through clenched teeth.

It was as if it registered for the first time that a rifle had fired at them. Immediately she moved in front of him and inspected his shoulder. To her horror, the stain she'd seen earlier was due to a rather nasty bullet wound to his upper shoulder. Since she hadn't noticed it while she cleaned his back and there was no exit wound, the bullet was still lodged in there.

"Oh, Ben," she sighed quietly and started to clean around the wound before she tried to remove the bullet. "This is going to hurt," she warned. As gently as she could, she proceeded to remove the bullet from his shoulder.

"Didn't I tell you to warn me the next time you felt chivalrous?" she muttered, feeling terrible whenever her probing caused him to flinch in pain.

"Sorry. It's ingrained in me," he ground out through gritted teeth. "I'm a chivalrous fool, born and bred."

"If I'd known you'd been shot, I would have insisted that you stay," she whispered, ignoring his comment.

"I would have swum after you, wounded arm and all," he declared softly, a pained smile on his face.

Annabelle continued labouring on cleaning and binding all his wounds for a good hour. Exhausted, she fell down on the bed next to him.

"Thank you, Bells," he said sincerely.

"Show your appreciation by not getting shot next time, okay?" she joked feebly.

He let out a small chuckle. "Only if you promise not to give me an excuse to get shot."

She was about to reply, but the stich in her side was starting to get annoying. She let out a sharp gasp of pain when her fingers brushed her hip.

"Bells, what's wrong?" Ben asked, pushing himself up on his elbows.

Gingerly, she prodded her side and each touch made her gasp in pain. Ignoring her protests, Ben reached over and carefully removed the jacket she had thrown on to warm her up in the chilly boat.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," he said flippantly. She was about to argue with him, but the shock that registered on his face made her shut up. Slowly she looked down and gasped in horror.

Her entire side was torn up with shrapnel from the exploding barrels, as well as covered with several angry looking bruises. Where the shrapnel had pierced her shirt and skin, the skin had already mended, leaving angry welts where the metal was still embedded.

"When did this happen?" she joked lamely and suddenly felt faint. She could handle other people's blood and injuries with ease, but every time she saw what she'd done to her own body, her head would spin. Even more so if blood was involved.

Apparently Ben forgot that he'd just had a bullet removed from his arm, since he leapt to his feet, swaying for a moment before coming over to her side. "Hell, Bells," he breathed. "This is generally why we don't shoot barrels that are marked as "highly explosive", he said with a slight smile.

"Lie down, Ben. I'll fix it later. I can't even stand now," she complained, feeling the pain from her side creeping through the rush of adrenaline that had made her ignore it in the first place.

Ben shot her a small smile. "I'm sorry, but if we don't get them out, you're going to get an infection, Hero healing or no," he said gently. He went to his pack to get the necessary supplies and carefully started to remove each of the shards.

The first shard made her gasp in pain, causing Ben's face to contract. "Avo, I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Now you know how I felt having to remove a bullet from your arm," she gritted out, looking away. "Just make it quick."

"For someone who just had a finger in my shoulder, fishing for a bullet, you are remarkably squeamish," Ben remarked.

She suppressed another gasp of pain. "I just don't like my own blood. It's one of the reasons I'm grateful I have Hero healing."

"So other people can bleed and gush other fluids around you as long as it's not your own? You are one strange girl."

"Did I chat this incessantly while I cleaned your wounds? No, I didn't. So please, shut up, Ben," she growled as he removed another shard.

"Maybe if you had, it would have been less painful. I'm trying to distract you, Bells," he said, laughing quietly.

Another sharp pain ran up her side and she felt tears pool in her eyes. _Come on. You can't show him weakness,_ she commanded herself. "Not helping, Captain," she retorted, trying to keep her voice from breaking. Avo, it was painful.

"Aaaand I'm back to being called Captain," he sighed. "Just so I know, what is your issue with showing weakness? It is a completely normal thing, you know. Everyone has them. Hell, even me, the dashing, talented and charming Ben Finn has been known to show weakness on occasion."

"I can't," was all she said.

"And why in Albion not?"

"Who would follow a monarch who isn't strong enough to master their own weaknesses?" she said quietly. "I've already shown my weaknesses too many times."

She felt his hand still on her waist. "What are you talking about?" he asked quietly.

"Logan knows exactly what to do to bring me to my knees. He found my Achilles heel that day in the throne room. Threaten to kill those I love and I'll do anything to protect them, even if it puts my subjects in danger" she admitted. "What is someone else finds that out too?"

"But having weaknesses is what makes us human," Ben argued.

"Not when everyone I care about could be killed because of my insecurities. One mistake on my part, one bad decision and I lose everything that I hold dear. Walter, Jasper…" She trailed off and barely whispered the next word. "You."

"You're not going to lose me, Bells. Like you said, I'm too stubborn to die," he joked.

"Yet you almost did because of me!" she exclaimed, turning over to face him. "I was so intent on keeping those enemies off that I didn't notice that rifleman until he shot you in the arm! By trying to protect you, I put you and myself in danger."

"That was due to my own initiative, Bells. **I** made the decision to jump in front of you," Ben argued.

Suddenly she couldn't hold the tears back anymore. "I hate weakness, especially in myself. I can't afford to let any others get hurt because of me. Those villagers were executed because of me. Major Swift was executed because of me. If I…if I lose anyone else…" she trailed off, a huge sob tearing through her.

"Bells, you won't," Ben said soothingly, grasping her hand with his calloused one. "And what happened to those people and Swifty wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was! If I hadn't persuaded Major Swift to join the revolution, he would still be alive!" she cried out. "Why don't you hate me, Ben? I took everything that you hold dear. I'm a selfish bitch who didn't deserve to be saved from that bullet!" Finally, she broke down. Wave after wave of tears rolled over her, and she clutched her knees to her chest, ignoring the stabbing pain in her side. "I don't deserve to be queen and I don't deserve to live," she choked out.

She was barely aware of Ben slipping his arms under her legs and arms and lifting her up. He carried her to the floor and sat there, cradling her sobbing form. They sat there for who knows how long as she cried out every tear she had, clutching him tightly. Eventually she ran out of tears and was reduced to quiet sniffles.

"Don't ever say that you didn't deserve being saved," he said quietly. "You are going to be an ever greater monarch than your father."

"How do you know that? How can you know that I won't go as power crazy as Logan and run Albion into the ground?" she whispered. "I have already put my own feelings ahead of what is best for the country. Who says I won't do it again?"

"Bells, you are the most infuriating, slightly insane, stubborn, yet caring and bravest person I've ever met. As for Elliot, you were young and in love. It wasn't fair to ask a girl of barely nineteen to choose between her lover and a group of strangers. From the moment you strolled into Mourningwood, covered in blood and dirt, that determined glint in your eyes, every one of those soldiers knew that you were the saviour we've been waiting for. Every one of us knew you could save us from your brother's tyranny. And every moment since then I've spent with you I've gotten to know you and I know that you are **nothing** like your brother."

"Do you really think so?" she asked, looking at him uncertainly, tears clinging to her eyelashes.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I **know** so."

Annabelle rested her head under his chin. "Thank you, Ben. I don't know what I would have done without you and Walter."

"Every princess needs a scoundrel in her story and fortunately for you, I happen to come with incredibly good looks," he said with a roguish smile.

"Well, my devilishly handsome Captain, as your damsel in distress, would you please save me from that horrible piece of metal that's currently lodged in my side," she said melodramatically, fluttering her eyelashes.

"What else are knights in shining armor for?" he replied with a wink and lifted her up. As soon as he did, however, a look of pain crossed his face and his arm gave way, causing both of them to tumble on the bed. Annabelle looked at him immediately, but the grin on his face showed that he was fine. "I'm a horrible white knight," he groaned. "I can't even carry my princess two meters to safety."

"**Your** Princess?" she asked dryly, with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, you're right." He sat upright, cross-legged and beckoned for her to lie down so he could remove the last sliver of metal. "Now that I think about it, you are no one's damsel in distress. Hell, you'd probably rescue yourself from a dragon infested tower," he said lightly.

"And you'd probably end up taking a wrong turn, getting lost and stubbornly refuse to ask directions to the princess you were supposed to rescue," she replied, cringing as the shrapnel was pulled from her skin.

"Don't forget losing my horse somewhere along the line," he added with a huge smile, settling down on the bed. "I think it's safe to say that neither one of us would fit in a traditional fairytale."

Annabelle fell down on the feathery pillows next to Ben, breaking into a fit of giggles. From his reaction, it was clear that Ben thought she was crying again, since he jerked upright, and immediately grabbed the hand that she held over her mouth, concern written over his handsome features. His expression made her double over, quaking with laughter.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

She forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. "Our situation," she managed.

"I wouldn't say our current situation was particularly humorous. Would you care to elaborate?" he asked, clearly worried about her mental state.

"Oh?" she said. "Here we are, two wounded revolutionaries, both due to our own stupidity, lying on a king sized bed, covered with **red satin sheets**, for Avo's sake, that, admittedly shouldn't be very clean due to what has happened underneath them, on a boat that belongs to the most sexual deviant man that ever lived while my mentor, who hasn't sailed a day in his life, is steering the ship and, based on the loud singing, has discovered Reaver's drink cabinet."

Ben looked at her for a moment before collapsing next to her, laughing loudly. "When you put it that way, it sounds absolutely ridiculous!" he managed to choke out. "How did we get here again?"

"I honestly don't know. I do remember a lot of Hollow Men, a lot of shouting at you and quite a few nights of trying to persuade Walter to stop drinking and help me plan the revolution," she replied, still giggling.

"Well, I do remember the shouting. I also remember thinking "When did I lose my ability to charm any woman into my bed?" he remarked with a sly smile.

"Still not working, Finn," she said, rolling her eyes and he let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Maybe we should dock at some random port so I can find out if it's just you that's immune to my charms," he said thoughtfully and she smacked him on the arm. "You know, this is the first time I've ever heard you laugh like that," he said, suddenly serious.

"That's not true," she said quickly.

"Oh really? When did you **ever** laugh for more than two seconds in front of me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out. "You're right," she realized.

"When was the last time you've laughed like that?"

She thought for a moment. For these past few months, it was nothing but doom and gloom for her. She'd rarely even **smiled**, let alone laughed.

"The day of the events in the throne room," she admitted. "Up to the demonstration, the day was filled with laughter." She looked down at her hands. "I haven't let myself go once after that," she whispered.

Ben's hand grasped hers tightly and she looked up at him. "We're going to change that. From now on, I'm going to try to get you to laugh more often." He thought for a minute. "Even if I have to run into a post repeatedly or make a huge fool of myself to get you to do so."

She gave him a small smile. "You might have just signed up to fight a losing battle, Ben."

He returned her smile with a huge grin of his own and leapt off the bed, sweeping into a deep bow. "Well, you just got the first member of your royal court. Court jester, at your service," he drawled, waggling his eyebrows.

She shook her head wryly. "I think you're a bit overqualified, Captain," she remarked.

"Well, telling jokes and falling over is how I got my start as a street performer. I think you are just an art snob," he replied.

"I just complimented you!"

"Sorry if I missed that. It happens **so** rarely. Maybe another compliment would make me believe you…" he trailed off, smiling at her again.

"You are clearly suffering from blood loss and possibly an undiagnosed mental problem, Ben. Being dropped on your head as an infant does that you."

He plopped down on the bed. "And what's your excuse for being an ice princess?"

"Well, the princess role has certain archetypes. It was either spoiled, little miss perfect or frigid bitch. I went for what sounded the most fun," she replied.

"Being mean is fun? Believe me, from past experiences, the spoiled archetype is the most fun. You get to waste the kingdom's money and fall into bed with handsome soldiers, like yours truly," he said with a roguish smile.

"Waking up alone, after a bullshitting captain charmed his way into your bed and left before daybreak is fun?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if the experience was worthwhile…"

She smacked on the arm again. "Shut up, Ben."

Ben clutched his arm, faking being hurt. "Ow!"

She rolled her eyes and turned over to fall asleep. "Just don't hog all the covers again," she said groggily.

"Like I'm going to sleep underneath Reaver's covers," he said, moving closer behind her and slipping his arm over her waist.

"What exactly do you think you are doing, Finn?" she asked slowly, too tired to argue.

"Just go with it. I promise not to bite."

"Fine. Right now all I want to do is sleep. Just remember, this is definitely a one-time thing. Even though we're friends, I'm not afraid to kick your sorry arse."

"So we're friends now?" She could hear the baiting tone in his voice.

"There are some things you can't go through without becoming friends and I think almost dying counts as one," she settled for replying.

"So I still have a shot to sweep you off your feet?" came the flirting question.

"Not a particularly good shot, but a shot none the less." He tightened the hold around her waist and she had to calm her fluttering heart at his touch.

"Good. I don't like to think that I'm completely out of the running."

"Whatever floats your boat, Ben. Just go to sleep, okay? And if Walter finds us down here like this, **you** are going to explain to him that we're just friends."

"Or, you know…We could always give him reason to get angry…I mean there is this huge bed and every-"

"Shut up, Ben."


	20. Chapter 20

_AN: Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favourites and story alerts. You guys are awesome! _

_I must have rewritten this chapter ten times and I'm still not completely happy with it...Please, read and review! I'd love to hear what you think :)_

_Chapter 20_

The next few days of the trip were rather uneventful by their standards. On the third misty morning of their journey, Ben walked onto the deck to find Annabelle staring at the restless ocean, a sad smile on her face.

He paused for a moment, taking in the way the faint morning sunlight highlighted the strands of her chocolate hair and illuminated the slight smatter of freckles that had appeared since she started spending so much time in the sun. _Avo, she's beautiful,_ he couldn't help but muse. Ever since he'd seen the real woman beneath the icy exterior two nights ago, she'd become even more gorgeous to him. _Yeah, I sound like a lovesick schoolboy, but who gives a damn?_

"Daydreaming again, Princess? You're setting a rather bad example for the rest of us hardworking crew members," he asked, a smile on his face.

Annabelle gave a visible start and whirled around. When she saw who it was, she rolled her eyes and tilted the corner of her mouth into a smirk. "As if you're working, Finn. You've barely lifted a finger these past few days," she replied in a haughty tone, but the twinkle in her eye gave her away.

He sauntered over next to her and rested his elbows on the banister. "Oh, you know, injuries and all that," he said flippantly. In reality, his arm was much better, but Walter was enjoying sailing too much to relinquish the steering wheel. Not that Ben minded. This meant that he could avoid Walter and do whatever he wanted, which of course meant that he spent this time hanging around the deck, mostly with the lovely princess. If she didn't get annoyed and chase him away, that is.

The princess gave a small snort of derision as she moved to lean on the banister as well. "How could I forget? It's not like you remind me every five minutes," she quipped, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"Hey! I'd like to see you take a bullet for someone!" he replied with feigned indignation.

He saw the ghost of a smile on her face out of the corner of his eye. "I'll leave that to the chivalrous idiots. Like you."

"Glad to know I'm useful for something…"

They continued to stand there in companionable silence for a while before she cleared her throat, causing him to look at her with rapt attention. She bit her lower lip and he knew that she was in thought or nervous about something.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"I gathered as much. What is it?" he replied.

"I…" She looked out at the ocean again. "I…wanted to say that…that I've enjoyed these past few days…a lot in fact…Contrary to my initial beliefs, you are actually not that much of an idiot…"

"But?" he interrupted, feeling his heart beginning to sink.

Her green eyes met his blue ones and flashed angrily. "Why does there have to be a "but"? You didn't even let me get to my question," she snapped, tingeing a shade of pink.

"Sorry, go ahead."

She worried her lower lip between her teeth again and took a hesitant breath. "I wanted to know if you'd stay around after the Revolution," she blurted out. Suddenly, she looked embarrassed. "It'll only be for a while. I know you probably wanted to go travel and Avo knows you'd want to get away from me and my psychotic behaviour, but with Swift gone I wondered if you'd be willing to take over his position as a general, just until I can find a permanent replacement" she rambled, trying to backpedal.

Her question put him off-guard. Though he'd fully intended tostick around for a while after she took over the throne, he never imagined becoming a **general**.

She must have taken his silence for a bad sign, since she turned an even deeper shade of red and started babbling again. "I'm sorry. I know it's not really what you imagined doing and it was probably stupid. It's just that I've enjoyed having a friend I can talk to and who actually understand me. Forget that I even said anything. I'm-"

He cut her off by threading his hands into her hair and pressing a small kiss to her lips. Though the kiss was chaste, he could still feel her melting into his arms. It felt wonderful to have that effect of a woman like Annabelle and he'd never experienced the rush of emotion he felt when he was with her ever before.

Finally, he pulled away and looked her in the eye, seeing the uncertainty in those shining emeralds and he gave her a lopsided grin. "You can take that as a yes," he whispered. "I'll stay until the army's back on its feet."

The uncertainty was replaced with joy almost immediately, although the rest of her face tried to hide it. "Good. I'm sure Albion will feel safe with you heading her armies," she said courteously.

"Cut the act, Bells. This is me you're talking to," he interjected. "You don't need to sugar coat your words."

"Well then, thank you, Ben." A slight smile played over her lips before she looked at the ground, obviously in thought. It was strange to see this side of her when all he'd known before was a real ice queen. "I want to know what this new thing is that you keep kissing me."

"Oh. That. Well, I decided that I should start taking on a more offensive side if I want to woo you," he replied with a shrug.

"So you settled for assaulting me at every possible moment?" she asked, lifting her eyes to meet his, raising an eyebrow.

"Believe me, I'm not assaulting you, sweetheart, but if you want me to stop I will," he said as sincerely as he could.

"Ben, I don't know what you are expecting from me…" She trailed off and studied him with a confused expression. "Am I just a challenge for you to bed?"

"Damn it. You saw right through my plan. I knew that if I lured you into bed, you'd probably never leave my side," he said, only half-joking.

"Are you delusional, Finn? I'm not going to sleep with you," she laughed softly as she gave a light shove to his chest.

"That's what you say now…" he replied with a suggestive wag of his eyebrows. "Seriously though, I know it probably won't happen, though you haven't seen my best moves yet."

She looked at him in disbelief. "You can't possibly have a move that's good enough to get us from being friends to falling into a bed in a few days."

"Is that a challenge, Bells? Because if it is, you're going to be in for the thrill of a lifetime," he replied huskily.

"No, it's not. Really, Ben, is that all you ever think about?" she sighed and rolled her eyes again.

"What makes you think that I do?"

"You certainly give that impression," she stated dryly and leaned her elbows against the railing again.

He took his place next to her and shot her a smirk. "Then I'm sorry that you think I'm some deprived deviant. I assure you, it's not who I am."

"I know. You are only **slightly** disgusting," she said with a small smile. "Must be Bloodstone that rubbed off on you."

"Now that I know what your stance on my personality is, do you want to play cards or something, seeing as you're not eager to do anything else," he complained jokingly.

"Or we could just sit here and talk?" came her reply.

"Fine, but only if I get to hold your hand," he bargained.

She rolled her eyes for the umpteenth. "I swear. You are absolutely obsessed with me, aren't you?"

His signature grin adorned his lips when he spoke next. "Nah. I just want to rile Wally up again. It's almost as fun as getting you angry with me."

"You know, you're lucky that someone hasn't shot you with the way you like riling people up," she remarked, staring out at the ocean.

"Ah, I'm too lovable and charming to kill. Besides, you should know by now that it's only a past-time. If you haven't noticed, when I do it with you, it's usually just to get you to smile so that I can see those adorable front teeth of yours. It's one of the things I love most about you," he said without thinking.

She spun to face him, her features arranged in a confused frown and he realized just what he'd said. Though he'd realized his feelings for her long ago and wanted to tell her that he was in love with her, that might not have been the best way to do it.

Before he could come up with an apology or excuse or **anything** that would make it less awkward, she opened her mouth.

"What did you just say?" she asked hesitantly and he saw the slightest glimmer of hope in her eyes. Even so, it wasn't the time. Maybe after the revolution they could figure out what was going out between them, but at that moment, it would only act as a distraction. The proof of what could happen when they got even the slightest bit of distracted was in the form of a bullet hole in his shoulder. Aside from that, he was scared witless at the prospect of telling her and getting rejected. _I really am damaged goods,_ he mused silently.

He took a deep breath and looked her right in the eye. _Please…don't hate me,_ he plead silently.

"Um, nothing. I'm going to see what's going on with the engine below," he replied quickly before turning on his heel to leave.

"Ben, wait!" she called after him and he came to a stop without turning around. "What did you say? Did you just…?"

He heard her footfalls nearing him and he could sense her presence behind him. "Ben," she whispered and he felt a small hand on his uninjured shoulder.

"It's nothing, Bells. Really, it was just a slip of the tongue," he insisted, barely looking at her.

"Okay." He heard the sad tone in her voice and he felt his heart drop. "I'll…I'll see you later then."

"'Kay," he replied and headed downstairs to the storage hold. He felt like an arse for running away again. That's all he ever did. He led her on and then dropped her.

"Idiot," he whispered and lowered his head into his hands.

oOoOoOo

Annabelle remained standing at the banister for a long time, not sure what to do. On the one hand she was furious, but on the other she was on the edge of bawling her eyes out.

_Why do I want to cry over that idiot? Again? _she thought to herself. _Did he almost admit that he loves me or am I imagining things? Or more likely, I'm just hoping he said what I wanted to hear most._

With a loud sigh, she stared out at the open ocean again until something caught her eye on the horizon.

"Captain! Walter! We've got a problem!" she called out as her eyes focussed on the objects in the distance.

oOoOoOo

Ben heard Annabelle's slightly panicked exclamation and immediately rushed up to the deck.

"Bells, what's going on?" he asked when he reached her side.

"Get our weapons," she commanded, her jaw fixed determinedly. "Knight! Get here now!"

Her expression was enough that he didn't need to be told twice and dashed below deck. When he returned with their weapons he could finally see what was upsetting her. In the distance he could barely make out a fleet of ships sailing straight toward them.

"Walter! We've got company!" Just when he said that, the first cannon fired right at him. His legs refused to move and he was barely aware of a small form tackling him to the ground. When the haze cleared, Annabelle was lying on top of him, her hair blowing wildly in the wind.

"Are you insane? Do you want to get killed?" she reprimanded him while helping him to his feet. "Just so you know, though they both leave holes, cannonball wounds are much harder to fix than gunshot wounds."

"You pick this time to make an actual joke. I repeat, you are one strange girl," he grunted she pulled him up. More cannons fired in the distance. "We need a plan, now."

Another hole formed in the hull. "Balls, we're going down!" Walter cried from the stern. "Get here you two!"

Ben grabbed Annabelle's hand tightly and together they ran to the wheel. "What do we do? There's nowhere to run!" Annabelle called over the wailing wind.

Ben racked his brain trying to find a solution when an insane idea formed in his head. "I have an idea! It's crazy, but it might work!" he replied.

Another explosion rocked the boat and Annabelle was almost flung overboard, before Ben managed to grab her hand. "Whoa, Bells! No unintentional flying off the boat!" he shouted, pulling her close against him. "Listen, I need to tell you something-"

"Thanks, but not now!" she interrupted as she found her footing. "You can tell me later! Now…what's your plan!"

"We fly off the boat!" he replied with a shrug.

"Wait! Are you insane? You just said no flying of the boat!" Walter cried, clutching onto the wheel for dear life.

"No unintentional flying! If we jump off now, they'll think we're dead and we can swim to safety! A sailor told me that they did it once during a raid on their ship!"

"And did all of them survive!" Walter asked as their footing became more and more unsure.

"We don't have much of a choice, Walter! Let's just go!" Annabelle interrupted and headed to the railing. Ben and Walter quickly joined her, but they hesitated for a moment as they watched the churning water.

"If we die, Ben, I'm going to kill you!" Walter yelled, his face white with fear.

Annabelle merely gave a sigh before leaping over the railing and disappeared in the restless ocean, her dog quick on her heels.

"That would be slightly redundant, don't you think, Wally? Now let's go!" Ben cried before following the princess into the frigid water below.

The churning water almost pulled him under, swirling him around. Luckily, he was a strong swimmer and after much struggling, he broke through the waves. He couldn't see anything in the thick mist and frantically searched for any sign of Annabelle or Walter. He faintly heard Annabelle screaming his name before another wave pulled him under.

"Annabelle!" he called hoarsely, struggling to stay afloat. "Annabelle!" A fragmented thought reminded him that if **he** was struggling to swim in the choppy water, there was no way she'd make it, since she'd told him the day before that she was never a good swimmer, but he quickly shut it up. _She'll be fine_, he insisted.

Ben finally caught a glimpse of dark brown hair and black and white fur in the waves and he swam to them as quickly as possible. "Bells! It's me! Are you okay?" he called.

"Ben! Where are you?" Her voice was trembling with fear and he saw her struggling to stay adrift, clutching onto Knight for dear life.

"I'm right here, Bells. Just hold on to me, 'kay," he said as he hooked his arms around her. "Don't try to fight me or we'll both be pulled under!"

"Alright," she whispered, clutching him tightly. "Where's Walter?"

"I don't know…I'm sure he's fine," he assured her as he tried to swim away from the sinking boat.

He saw her open her mouth to say something more when a vicious wave crashed over them. The wave's force was strong enough to wrench Annabelle out of his arms and when he finally surfaced again, she and Knight was nowhere to be seen.

He barely cried her name again when another wave crashed over him, dragging him into the liquid abyss.

oOoOoOo


	21. Chapter 21

_AN: Wow! I got such amazing responses and reviews this past week and each one of them made my heart swell a thousand times bigger. Thank you so, so much! And for those of you that favourited and added to your story alerts, thank you as well! You made my terrible week a lot better :)_

_I have to apologize for the cliffhanger in the previous chapter, but I (still) have to study for a couple of humungous tests and I'm barely finding time to sleep, let alone time to write. Thankfully, this chapter was already halfway done, so I finished it so that I wouldn't keep you waiting for TOO long…and to keep me from going crazy._

_While I wrote this chapter I was listening to and partly inspired by "Wish You Were Here" by Avril Lavigne and I think it fits rather well with the overall mood of the chapter._

_And I'm finally done babbling. Please, read and tell me what you think! _

_Chapter 21_

"Annabelle! Ben!"

Annabelle stirred slightly, feeling course sand scratch her cheeks. In the distance she heard the cry of a seagull and the faint lapping of waves.

_Am I dead?_

With much effort, she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she was on a beach. The second thing was that she was surrounded by the wreckage of their boat.

The events leading up to being washed up on an abandoned beach crashed down on her, much like the waves that had pulled her out of Ben's arms and deep underwater.

"Walter! Ben!" she exclaimed, jerking upright. She desperately searched the beach for any sign of the blond captain or her gruff mentor. She already knew Walter was fine since she could hear him calling her, but she wanted to see him with her own eyes. It also bothered her immensely that Ben hadn't made his presence known yet.

She was still scanning the beach when a mound of black and white fur crashed into her, sending her sprawling on the ground. Knight licked her frantically, as if to make sure she was real.

"It's alright, Knight, I'm fine," she whispered, hugging the dog closely. The dog had been the last present her father had given her and she would have been even more heartbroken if something had happened to him.

She straightened up and spotted a solitary familiar figure hurrying toward her. "Walter? I'm over here!" she called and rushed into his tight embrace.

"Annabelle, I'm so glad to see you are alright. I could've never faced your father in the afterlife if something happened to you," he said hoarsely, giving her a huge bear hug.

"Oh, Walter…If I'd lost you too…" Her relief was interrupted by thoughts of the fourth member of their group. She looked up at her mentor's dark eyes. "Where's Ben?" she whispered.

Walter looked uncomfortable. "I…I don't know. He didn't wash up on this beach," he admitted and Annabelle felt her chest contract as if a stone fist was crushing her.

"No," she breathed and rushed past him to the ocean that sparkled the same colour as Ben's eyes.

"Ben! Ben! Captain Benjamin Finn, if you don't come here this instant, I'll…I'll…" All the strength left her body and she sagged into the sand. "No, Ben…This is all my fault….I never should have let him come…" she muttered, wiping at the tears brimming in her eyes. _Not Ben….please, not him too!_

_No, not now. Not now,_ she insisted and forced the tears back. She'd handle her feelings later. At that moment she had to focus on getting out of there.

She sensed Walter approaching her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's a strong swimmer, Annabelle. He's probably on some island filled with beautiful women…drinking cocktails," he comforted her. "Like you said on many occasions, the bastard is too stubborn to die."

"Or he's just another casualty to add to my list of people that I've killed," she said sharply. She could still feel the way his arms had comforted her in the frigid water and can't bear the thought that he might be dead.

Walter helped her to her feet. "Ben is still alive and waiting somewhere for us to come rescue him. He wouldn't want you to sit here and mope about something you had no control over," he said sternly, though not unkindly.

"You're right. I'm being pathetic." She brushed the sand off her clothes. "Let's find a way out of here," she commanded, slipping on her ice princess mask. _If anything happened to Ben I'll never forgive myself,_ she thought.

She scanned the horizon for any signs of civilization, but all she could see was sand and more sand.

"Where do you think we are, Walter?" she asked, trying to hide the timid tremble in her voice. Being surrounded by this much nothingness, she felt more vulnerable than ever before.

"I think we are on the north side of the desert from Aurora. If we go south, we ought to find the village," Walter replied wearily and started heading deeper into the island.

They walked in silence, an unspoken understanding that they were in a serious situation and could probably die hanging between them. Finally, they reached the gaping maw of a dark cave.

"Can I just say one thing…BALLS!" Walter bellowed into the open sky.

"I'm sorry Walter, but this seems to be the only way to go," Annabelle said softly.

Walter let out a huge sigh. "You're right. Then let's go," he groaned.

It was impossible to see more than a few meters in front of them when they entered the cave. "Can't you use your will to light the way for us, Annabelle?" Walter asked when they stumbled over a flight of steps for the third time.

"I could, but only for a while. If only we had a torch or something," she mused and carefully continued forward. The sudden, loud bark from her dog next to her almost sent her crashing into the wall in shock and she could barely make out his figure disappearing further into the cave. "Knight! Knight, come back here," she cried in panic. They didn't know what was waiting ahead and she couldn't imagine letting the dog scout on his own.

He returned almost immediately, carrying a sturdy piece of wood in his mouth. Knight gave a muffled woof and dumped it near her feet, looking at her expectantly. With an affectionate pat of thanks, she picked up the wood, ripping off a piece of her blouse to form a makeshift torch. A flick of her fingers later, the torch was blazing and they could see everything in the huge room they'd stumbled into.

"Where in Albion are we?" she breathed, taking in the cold stone walls and heaps of skeletons littering the ground. As far as she could tell, there was no exit this way.

"Did we take a wrong turn?" she asked Walter, who was gingerly inspecting one of the corpses.

"No. The path was straight. The exit has to be in here somewhere," he called, wandering further. For a moment, she let herself remember that they hadn't seen any trace of another living thing, least of all her blond captain. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the stone steps, and ran her hands through Knight's fur. The dog seemingly understood his mistress distress and rested his head on her lap, uttering a sad whine.

_I wish you were here, Ben,_ she thought, trying to keep her tears locked away. _Please, be alright…please._

The worry must have shown on her face, for Walter looked at her from across the room, a look of pity on his face. "Thinking about him isn't going to help, Anna. Besides, when did you become so fond of him? I thought you hated his guts," he said, coming over to sit next to her.

_Come on, Annabelle! Get a hold on yourself! You're stronger than this!_ she chastised herself when she felt the tears welling up again. _That stupid man…I'm going to kill him when I find him for making me feel like…like I need him! Like I care!_

She stubbornly wiped her face with her sleeve and looked away. "I don't **hate** him. I just harbour a rather strong dislike," she lied, absentmindedly touching her side where he'd helped her remove the shrapnel. She couldn't tell Walter that there might be something between her and Ben. Not when they were staring death in the face and not while they had to concentrate on getting out of there alive.

_Besides…Ben didn't seem too eager to discuss it,_ she thought darkly when she thought of his words on the boat. _Or, rather, the lack of words._

"So all that whispering and guilty looks were rooted in dislike?" he asked, raising his eyebrow. "And the fact that I caught the two of you going at it wasn't an indication that you liked him?"

She still refused to look him in the eye. "I thought you wanted us to get along."

"I do, but as comrades, not as…as…" He flailed his arms, looking for a suitable word.

"You don't have to worry. There is nothing between me and Ben. I know you found us in a rather…compromising…position, but that was a one-time mistake. I was feeling upset and he was there to comfort me," she said, her heart contracting at the lie. She didn't know what was worse, lying about her feelings for Ben or lying to Walter.

Next to her, Walter let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank Avo. Here I was preparing to tell you that you were making a huge mistake."

"Ben isn't that bad," she added quickly.

"Don't get me wrong, I like the boy. He's a fine soldier and a good man, but he's made a lot of bad decisions. There's no telling if he'd do it again."

"Like Bloodstone?" she asked, her voice taking a dark tone.

Walter gave a shrug. "Yeah, but also with the women he's had after that. Swifty had gotten him to scale down, but I remember a few times when he'd pitched up at the castle barracks in a foul mood since some woman he'd bedded hadn't worked out. The woman he usually fell for would sleep with him and then leave him."

"What is your point, Walter?"

"The man wouldn't know an honest relationship if it fell into his lap or know how to handle it. I was scared of what might happen to you, especially after Elliot." Walter shot her a strange look. "But why are we talking about this? It's not like the two of you are together!" At this he let out a hearty laugh, despite the morbid surroundings.

She forced her own chuckle, suppressing the urge to cry. Now she knew once and for all that Walter wouldn't approve of any romantic relationship, or whatever was going on between them. "You're right. Let's get out of here, shall we?" she said with false cheerfulness and got to her feet.

oOoOoOo

Ben woke to the faint crying of seagulls above him and the distinctive smell of the ocean in his nose. He squinted up at the blinding sunshine, trying to remember where in Albion he was. Finally, he figured out that he was on some kind of dock and he scanned the surrounding buildings for a familiar landmark.

The movement caused him to gasp in pain and he slowly picked up his shirt. He cringed when he saw the blossoming of an enormous bruise on his chest and he faintly remembered crashing into a loose piece of wood in the churning water. If that wasn't enough, his shoulder was still aching from being shot, as well as his back from being lashed and for a moment he wondered if it wouldn't be easier on his body if he just fell over and died.

Suddenly, his thoughts darted to Annabelle. He sprang to his feet, his body crying in protest and hastily scanned the dock for any sign of her dark head. "Annabelle!" he cried hoarsely, his throat dry from dehydration. "Annabelle!"

"There is no one else here, son." He whirled around to face the owner of the soft voice. He was startled when his eyes met the dark eyes of a short, bald woman with a painted face. _I'm definitely not in Industrial anymore,_ he thought wryly.

"I also saw no sign of your ship. You must have swum quite a ways to have washed up here," she continued, looking remarkably unperturbed by the waterlogged captain.

"Are you sure you haven't seen my friend? She's about my age, with dark hair, greenest eyes you've ever seen, probably with a border collie and an old man?" he asked hastily, not bothering to make sense. He had to find Annabelle as quickly as he could. _If she died without me telling her how much I love her…Dammit! Why did I hedge?_

With a shake of his he cleared his thoughts. He'd worry about that later. First, he had to make sure she was alright.

Concern washed over her features. "Did Logan send you? Are you the help he promised?" she asked, her eyes drifting to his soldier uniform for the first time.

"I don't know what he promised. We came to find help against Logan's rule, but they caught up to us and attacked out ship. Please, I need to find the princess that was on our ship. She…she means a lot to me-I mean Albion," he said quickly.

The woman regarded him with a curious expression. "No matter. We'll find them. If you washed out here, they must have landed near the cave, which means we have to hurry." The woman shot him another glance. "I hope your friends are as strong as you lead me to believe. They will face the biggest danger of their lives in those depths."

Ben couldn't help giving a slight snort. "Not to sound disrespectful, but Annabelle and Walter have fought balverines, hollow men, hobbes and any other kind of beast you can imagine."

"Nothing they have faced can prepare them for the darkness." Ben felt the blood leave his face at her grave tone and the memory of the darkness that had engulfed him a few days ago and he felt a stab of fear for Annabelle and Walter. "But let us not waste time."

She turned to leave, but Ben stopped her. "Forgive my rudeness. I didn't even ask your name," he said, flashing her a forced, though charming, smile.

"My name is Kalin," she said simply.

"The name is Benjamin Finn, though everyone calls me Ben," he replied. "And if I might ask, where are we?"

"Welcome to Aurora, Benjamin. Welcome to the city of nightmares."


	22. Chapter 22

_AN: Hi there! I'd like to thank all of you for the reviews, favourites and alerts! You are really, really awesome ;)_

_I took A LOT of liberties with this part of the game and when I say a lot, I mean it. _

_Please, read and tell me what you think! I hope you enjoy it ;)_

_Chapter 22_

"Walter! Walter!" Annabelle cried frantically, stumbling in the pitch darkness. "Please, Walter, answer me!"

She heard a terrified scream from deeper in and she rushed forward, clutching the wall to keep her bearings. "_Come, little princess, save him if you can…"_ that taunting voice said again, sending a shiver down her spine. The voice that had taken Walter.

After making their way out of the circular room down a huge staircase, they'd found themselves a labyrinth of ruins. At first, there was nothing strange, but the deeper they went, the darker it became. What was worse, a strange voice had started whispering and taunting them, almost driving Walter to insanity, as well as almost dropping Annabelle into a pit of despair. It was when she jumped down a ledge that the creature, named the Crawler, finally made itself known and had taken Walter deeper into the darkness.

"_Try to save him like you tried to save the others. Try and fail!"_ the voice thundered.

"Shut up!" she yelled, fear and despair clutching her chest even tighter and tighter. "Just shut up!" She rushed forward, the need to save Walter propelling her forward.

"_Poor broken little princess…don't fight this…let the darkness consume you!"_

"Never! I'll keep fighting until I die!" she cried in defiance. "I won't let you take him!"

Finally, she came into a room with a huge dais. There, at the top, stood Walter, hunched over, but distinctly alive. "Walter!" she breathed and rushed up the stairs. "Walter, you're alright!" she choked out, tears running down her face.

He looked up at her, his gaze unfocussed. "Annabelle…" Suddenly, his eyes rolled back into his head and a black fluid poured out of his mouth while he chuckled demonically. "_Walter! Walter!" _it mocked in a falsetto voice. "_It's too late, princess. HE. IS. MINE!"_

Annabelle leapt back just in time as an explosion rocked the chamber and the statues came to life.

"No! I won't lose him too!" she yelled. The creatures attacked relentlessly, but Annabelle's fear, as well as her determination pushed her powers past anything she'd ever been capable of. She fought like a woman possessed, each swipe and each stab fuelled by an intense drive to save Walter.

"_How does it feel to know you failed your loved ones? That you will never see them again?"_ the voice thundered as another golden monster approached her.

"No!" she cried, but her strength was fading. "I…I won't give up…" She stumbled to the ground as the statue hit her with its weapon.

"_Yes! Give in to me…" _the voice growled.

"I can still…I can still fight," she whispered, despair gripping her heart. "I'm not going to die…" As she breathed these words, a sudden rush of comforting warmth spread through her body. She closed her eyes, revelling in the calm that was washing over her. When she opened them, she found that she was bathed in light and that the creatures of darkness were cringing away and hissing at her. She shot a glance over her shoulder and was shocked to see a pair of shimmering angel wings on her back. Just when she was about to freak out, another wave of warmth enveloped her.

_Don't be afraid, my angel,_ the shocking familiar voice of her father whispered. _Don't give up. You can defeat the darkness._

"Daddy?" she whispered, but the voice was gone. However, she got the strength she needed to. With a sudden burst of speed, she leapt to her feet and rushed the statue, killing it with a flourish. The rest of her movements were a blur as she let the will in her flow free and killed every creature that dared to attack her.

When she finally stopped, her breathing heavy and ragged, the statues were lying utterly destroyed at her feet. She felt her wings disappear and the sudden burst of strength leave her. As she glanced around the room, desperate for any sign of the source of her power, a glimmer of light caught her eye and she faced the dark wall. Knight gave a happy bark and rushed to the wall. Slowly, the light grew to take on a familiar figure.

"Hi, my angel," her father whispered, his face melting into a soft smile.

"Daddy," she breathed and rushed to the ethereal figure that was slowly becoming corporeal. She ran into his arms, feeling them fold around her in a loving embrace. "Oh, Daddy…I…I miss you so much…" she sobbed, not even bothering to hold back the tears.

"I miss you too, my girl," she felt him whisper into her hair. "I'm so sorry for leaving you alone."

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted to lead this revolution, but Logan…Logan changed, Daddy."

"I know. Listen, I don't have a long time." He pulled away so she looked him in his gentle green eyes, mirror images of her own. "I want you to know how proud I am of you and how much I love you. There is a reason I called you my angel. You are the most caring, sweet, kind woman I've ever met and I'm proud to call you my daughter."

"I've changed," she admitted, unable to look him in the eye.

He shot her a fathering look. "Not as much as you think, my girl. Look inside yourself and you'll see that you only got stronger and you'll be a better monarch for it."

"Thank you, Daddy." His shimmering form was slowly disappearing. "Wait, where are you going!" she cried, panicking.

"I told you I didn't have a lot of time, but don't worry. I'm always watching over you and I'm always with you. You have the light you need to defeat the darkness."

"What are you talking about?"

"You will find out in due time, Annabelle." His figure was almost completely transparent. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. I'm sorry I couldn't teach you everything about being a Hero, but look in the sanctuary when you get to Albion. I left you a present," he said before he disappeared once and for all. "_I'll always be there when you need strength to go on. Just believe in yourself._"

"I will," she vowed, wiping the last tears off her dirty cheeks. Suddenly, her thoughts darted back to Walter. She rushed to the dais where Walter was lying face down in the ground. "Walter?" she asked tenderly, lifting his head into her lap. "Walter, please wake up."

The old man slowly started moving again and his eyelids fluttered open. "Annabelle? Annabelle, are you there?" Finally, he opened his eyes and Annabelle had to stifle a gasp. His irises were pure white and his eyes were lined with darkness. "I can't see," he said, panicking. "I can only see darkness!"

"It's alright, Walter. I'm here and I'm not leaving you," she insisted and helped him to his feet. "Just take my hand and I'll lead you outside."

"Thank you," he whispered, grasping her hand. She gently led him down the long corridor to the outside, walking slowly. At last, they reached the outside and Annabelle was almost blinded by the sudden flash of light. When she could manage to open her eyes, she was in standing on a stone staircase overlooking the huge expanse of desert. "I can breathe fresh air," Walter whispered, squeezing her hand.

"Yes. We're out of there, Walter," she replied softly, revelling in the feeling of the warm breeze on her face. She scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of civilization. Her gaze landed on a small statue in the distance, quite a while away.

"Can you see anything?" Walter asked.

"Yes, but it's a long walk. We'd better start moving," she replied and started down the staircase. As soon as she started moving, however, Walter stumbled to the ground, falling on his knees.

"Walter!" Annabelle knelt next to him. "Are you alright?"

"I won't make it…You have to leave me here," he insisted, looking up at her with his blank eyes.

"No! I promised not to leave you!" she insisted and stood up. Thought she was still clutching onto a small thread of hope that Ben was still alive, he might be dead and she couldn't lose Walter as well. She pulled him up and hooked his arm around her shoulder so that he was leaning against her. "Come on."

"Thank you."

At first, she could bear his weight with little trouble, but as the sun grew higher in the sky, the desert grew hotter and Walter's strength waned, she started to struggle. The ruins weren't getting closer and she was starting to panic. There was no one to help them and she was afraid that they were lost.

A few steps later, she stumbled over a rock, causing herself and Walter to tumble to the ground. She managed to push herself up on her elbows and Knight gave her a supportive lick on the hand. "Thanks, boy. I need to watch where I'm going," she said, forcing a smile. Her gaze darted to Walter, who was passed out on the desert floor.

"Walter!" She slapped his face lightly, willing him to wake up. "Please, Walter. Don't leave me alone," she pled. Despite all her efforts, he didn't even twitch a muscle. Finally she was forced to leave him. "I promise, I'll come back for you," she vowed and got to her feet. Summoning every ounce of energy she had, she pushed herself towards the ruins, running as fast as she could, her resolution growing with each step.

She was about halfway when she was forced to rest and take a drink of water so that her Hero stamina could regenerate. That, however, proved to be a mistake. When she stopped moving, the sky around her slowly grew darker and the air grew thick and muggy.

"No," she breathed and started running again, despite her weary body.

But, no matter how fast she ran, she couldn't escape the darkness closing around her. Visions started haunting her as she ran, forcing the air from her lungs with their reality.

"_Why did you abandon me, Anna?"_ the fake Walter asked. _"Why did you leave me to die?"_

"No, I didn't!" She was forced to stop once again by a horde of "children" and had to waste precious energy to defeat them.

"_Anna? Help me! I can't see!" _Fake Walter cried and stumbled towards her. _"Help me, Anna!"_

"You're not him!" she yelled in defiance, quickly striking him down.

"_Give up, little angle,"_ the voice hissed. _"You left him to DIE, just like you let Major Swift die and you let Captain Finn drown…You killed them…It's your fault they're DEAD!"_

"No, it's not! Walter is still alive!" she cried and tried to run out of the darkness, but it seemed that every step she took only dragged her further down.

"_You blame yourself for their deaths and rightly so…You never stopped blaming yourself for those villagers' deaths and you doubt in your ability to rule…just give up," _the voice whispered sinisterly. _"You're all alone…"_

"Get out of my head!" she yelled, clutching her temples. "It's not true!"

"_You should give up, Annabelle. You can't do anything."_

"NO!" Suddenly, the darkness surrounded her so completely that she couldn't see anything except for a pinprick of light in the distance. She pushed herself forward, but the light didn't get any closer and the taunting only grew worse. After what seemed like hours, her legs gave way, simply unable to bear her weight. The despair in her heart took over and she crumbled to the ground, unmoving.

Knight rushed to her side and knelt next to her, nudging her with his nose, whining softly. "I can't, Knight…I can't do it…" she whispered in defeat.

"_YES! GIVE UP!"_ the Crawler thundered.

"No, Bells, you can't!" a very familiar voice called suddenly in the darkness. "Don't give up!"

"Ben?" she whispered, hope driving the despair out of her heart. "Ben, is that you?"

"_No! You're losing your mind, little angel,"_ the voice mocked.

"Ben!" she cried, sitting upright. "Ben, can you hear me?"

"Bells! I'm coming! Just hold on!" his comforting voice replied and she saw a hint of movement in the darkness.

She could almost cry with relief. "Ben, please hurry!" The figure moved closer and she got to her feet to run towards him.

"Ben! Oh, Ben," she sobbed as she collapsed in his arms, breathing in his scent of sandalwood and gunpowder. "Ben, I'd thought I'd lost you."

"Don't worry, Bells. I'm here and I won't leave you ever again," he promised and she felt his chapped lips on her forehead, moving lower to her lips to capture them with his. A soft moan sounded in her throat and she clutched his shirt tightly, parting her lips to give him more access, craving his touch and caress. He obliged and wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer against him, almost crushing her, his tongue searching out every inch inside her mouth. Just when she was afraid that she would melt with pleasure, he pulled away and tilted her chin to look him in the eye. Gasping in horror, she stumbled backward as she saw that his beautiful blue irises where now blood red and he wore a vicious grin on his face.

"Come on, Bells. _Bells, what's wrong?" _The Crawler let out a maniacal laugh. "_Do you like my impressions, Princess? Face the truth. He's dead and the children are hungry for you. Just give in…"_

"No!" A chocked sob escaped her throat and she pressed a hand to her mouth, falling to the ground. "No! He's still alive!"

"_Don't you believe me?" _The Crawler switched between manifestations of Walter, Ben and her father, all more demonic and sinister that she remembered. "_Look into the faces of all the men you failed."_ They were soon joined by Elliot, Major Swift, Logan and the villagers she'd sentenced to death.

"_Believe it, Princess…you are worthless…you are nothing but a broken little toy!"_

Unable to fight any longer, she sagged to the ground, her eyes drifting shut. "I can't give…up," she whispered. As she faded into oblivion, her last thought about the smiling, laughing eyes of the captain and the gruff smile of the mentor that she'd failed.

_I'm sorry._


	23. Chapter 23

_AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites and alerts! I appreciate each and every one of them immensely! _

_And here we are, the big reunion! Please, read and tell me what you think! I hope you enjoy it :) _

_Chapter 23_

"Kalin, I think I saw movement that way," Ben called to the bald woman, pointing into the distance. He could barely make out a small lump on the desert floor, but it was too far away to be sure. "I'm going to check it out."

He was about halfway when he saw a blur of black and white running toward him, followed by panicked barking. "Knight!" he cried, and ran to the frantic border collie. "Knight, where is she?" he asked, kneeling next to the dog. His heart dropped into his boots when he saw the dog alone, which meant that Annabelle was hurt or worse. The dog would never leave her side otherwise.

Knight gave another whine and ran into the distance and Ben had to hurry to keep up with him.

oOoOoOo

Annabelle faintly heard the barking of her dog in the distance, but all she could see was darkness. _Please, let him have found help,_ she thought and passed out again.

oOoOoOo

"Bells!" Ben let out a raw cry when he saw the princess sprawled on the ground, dirty and clothes torn.

"No!" He rushed to her side, stroking the hair out of her eyes. "Don't be dead…please don't be dead! Don't you dare leave me," he pled, searching for any sign of pulse. To his horror, her forehead was burning up and her breathing was ragged and shallow. _At least she's alive,_ he reminded himself.

"Bells, it's me. I'm here," he whispered over and over. Kalin found the girl quickly and gently pushed him out of the way.

"Look for her companion," she suggested and Ben reluctantly left her side.

oOoOoOo

In her haze of confusion, Annabelle became aware of another presence and she forced her eyes open to look up into the clear blue sky.

Suddenly, her vision was obstructed by a dark shape and she felt a rush of panic. When her vision focussed however, she found herself looking at the kind eyes of a woman with a painted face and a shaved head. "Be calm, Princess. You're safe now," her soothing voice said and Annabelle felt herself calm down.

"Walter, temple" she breathed, her focus failing. The woman nodded and she heard the rustle of feet around her.

Her vision was blurring again when she heard a familiar voice. "Taking a nap in the sun? Typical royalty. You had me worried for a while there," Ben whispered jokingly, but the tender note in his voice was clear. A calloused hand carefully caressed her cheek and she sighed against his gentle touch.

"Ben," she breathed and she felt hot tears cascading over her face. She wanted to say more, but her dry mouth failed to cooperate. She settled for slowly lifting her hand to his face, cupping his stubbled cheek.

"Ben, y-you're here," she mouthed again, but she couldn't make the words leave her mouth. _He's alive…he's alive!_

"Shhh," Ben whispered and took her hand in his to kiss it gently. "We'll find Walter and you'll be fine," he insisted, squeezing her hand. "Just stay with me, alright?"

She managed a nod and he shot her a soft smile. "That's my girl." She felt him pick her up and she snuggled against his chest, allowing herself to drift into a fitful sleep.

oOoOoOo

Ben felt Annabelle's breathing slow down and he knew she'd fallen asleep. Her small fists were clutching his shirt and a strangled whimper escaped her lips. _Thank Avo she's alright,_ he thought. Though he knew she wasn't out of the woods yet, it made him feel a lot better to be holding her in his arms again, the heat of her body and that faint smell of wildflowers proof that she was alive.

"Kalin, shouldn't we find Walter before heading back?" Ben asked, slowly walking to the woman staring of into the distance.

"She said that he was at the old temple. My men are already on their way. Now, follow me. Your princess needs help," she replied and started towards the village. Ben trotted after her, confused.

"Will they find him?" he asked.

Her reply was a knowing smile. "We have our ways. We'll find him, Benjamin," she replied in a mysterious tone. Ben was about to asked something else, when Annabelle started muttering in her sleep.

"No, don't leave me…please don't leave me alone again…" she whispered, whimpering softly.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I'm not leaving you again," he vowed, hugging her closer.

"They say that a whimper in your sleep is a scream in your dreams," Kalin commented, her pace quickening.

"Is she going to be alright?" he asked, panic rising in his throat. The desert was getting unbelievably hot and he could feel the sweat pouring out of his every pore. Still, he forced himself to keep going, ignoring the man that offered to take her on a litter. "I have her," he growled, causing the man to back off.

"Few ever come back, but she seems to be strong of heart. She'd have to be very special to come so far without submitting to the darkness," Kalin remarked when they walked over yet another dune. The sand was really starting to get impossible to walk through, but a warped sense of pride stopped Ben from asking for help.

A lopsided grin split across his lips as he gazed at her sleeping form. "Yeah. This girl really is something."

Kalin's dark eyes studied him from over her shoulder. "You love her very much, don't you?"

"No! No!" he replied quickly, more out of habit than anything else, but the woman's piercing gaze didn't leave his face. He gave a loud sigh. "Yeah, I'm just kidding myself. I'm head over heels. I can't even **imagine** living without her. The thought of losing her…it's too much to bear. But then, she's the princess and I'm just a good for nothing scoundrel. I can't be in love with her."

"And why not? You can't choose who you fall in love with."

"I know, but we were both unfortunate enough to be stupid enough to fall for the most inappropriate person in Albion."

"Does she feel the same as you do?"

"Yeah…I think so. I hope so. But I don't want to talk about it. I'm just glad she's alive."

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the village appeared over the horizon. Ben was surprised to see a couple of Aurorans holding a stretcher with Walter unconscious on it at the entrance.

"Take them to the temple," Kalin commanded and they made their way through the deserted village. Another shiver ran down his spine when he looked at the dark horizon and empty market square. Kalin's tale about the village's fate made him hate Logan even more and he swore to help them get to their feet, no matter what he had to do.

oOoOoOo

Annabelle woke up to a warm, wet tongue licking her face. She shivered and slowly fluttered her eyelids, trying to focus on the sounds and images around her.

"Good. You're awake," came the same voice that she'd heard in the desert. Her faithful dog's face also came into view and she felt her lips split into a smile.

"Hey, Knight," she whispered, stroking his soft ears. The dog let out a contented whine and rested his head on her lap.

"Where…where am I?" she asked the woman, her dry throat scratching. The woman caught the hint and passed her a cup of water. With a whispered thank you, Annabelle gulped it down gratefully and sighed as the cool water soothing her raw throat.

"You are in the village of Aurora, child. We found you and your friend in the desert, thanks to your dog." The woman sat down next to her. "I'm Kalin and Walter is fine, before you ask."

"I'm Annabelle." Inside she sighed with relief that Walter was alive. The relief faded and the memory of a familiar face in the desert haunted her and even though it felt real, she couldn't fall for the Crawler's illusion again. "I…I thought I saw one of my friends in the desert…was it real?" she asked tentatively, a sliver of hope rising in her chest. _Please let it be true._

"You mean one devilishly handsome soldier by the name of Ben Finn?" said the voice that she longed to hear. Ben knelt down next to her and took her hand, vexing smile plastered on his face. "Not dead yet, Princess."

"Ben," she choked out and clutched him closer. "It's really you." She breathed his scent in, sure that it was him this time.

"It's me and I'm not leaving again," he whispered, stroking her hair. "But we can talk later."

"Right." She pulled away and looked at Kalin. "What was that thing in the cave?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Follow me." Annabelle got to her feet with Ben's support, her hand lingering for a moment too long on his and shot him a shy smile. He gave her a quick peck on the forehead and led her outside, still holding her hand.

The sight that greeted them outside made her stifle a gasp. The sky was a deep blood red and the village was absolutely abandoned. An air of despair clung to everything and Annabelle moved closer to Ben, who tightened the hold on her hand even further.

"What happened here?" Annabelle asked Kalin, who was staring at the village, her expression unreadable.

"This is the work of the Crawler, the creature you encountered in the desert."

"The city of nightmares," Ben added softly, his eyes hard.

"But…I don't understand. Why has no one helped you?" she asked.

Kalin turned her gaze to Annabelle. "A few years ago…there was the possibility of help, but it never came. But I'll tell you that later. First, explore the town for yourself and see what the Crawler has done to us."

Annabelle shot Ben a question with her eyes, but he gave a shake of his head. "Go on. I've seen enough to last me a lifetime."

"Right."

oOoOoOo

Ben next to Kalin stood standing on the ledge that overlooked Aurora, his gaze never leaving the form of the princess who was wandering and talking with the villagers who still remained.

Finally, she trudged up the stairs, looking considerably wearier than before. "I…I can't believe this," she whispered, her usually shining emerald eyes dulled. "How could…how could this have happened?" Her gaze shifted to Kalin. "I promise, when I'm queen, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"I appreciate it, Princess, but first I want you to know about another like you that washed up on our shore, a few years ago. Another that proved strong enough to overcome the darkness. We found him in the desert, passed out, but still alive. We nursed him back to health and before he left, he promised to help us. His name was Logan."

Ben watched as a look of utter disbelief crossed Annabelle's face. "As in my brother, Logan?"

"Apparently, your brother was quite the traveller before he started going insane," Ben added with a shrug.

"I know. So that was tied in with what happened here?" Annabelle asked.

"Yes. Your brother promised aid, but nothing came of it. Don't give us hope and then take it away, Princess. My people cannot take anymore despair," Kalian replied, her dark eyes boring into Annabelle's. Ben was very glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of that gaze.

"I promise," Annabelle said and shook the other woman's hand. Kalian looked pleased and gave a small semblance of a smile.

"Good. Now, go get some rest. Walter ought to be awake tomorrow, after which we will lay siege on Bowerstone."

Ben and Annabelle thanked Kalin one last time and headed off to their respective lodgings. Annabelle had bought a house from one of the villagers on the other side of the marketplace, while Kalin assigned Ben to one of the smaller apartments for the evening.

That night, alone, with the wind howling, Ben couldn't help but miss Annabelle. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted to hold her and tell her how he felt. On the other hand, she probably wanted to be alone. Processing all of this was going to take some time and she needed to clear her head. With a grudging sigh, he trudged to the bedroom, the floor mat looking highly uncomfortable. Despite that, he settled under the blanket as the cold desert night chilling the air, hoping to fall asleep.

Though, try as he might, he couldn't get Annabelle out of his head. He needed her and he'd had enough of holding back his feelings. On his way out, he grabbed the small basket of food the Aurorans had left him for dinner. To his great amusement, there was obviously more than enough for two people. _Why, Kalin, you sly dog_, he thought as a plan formed in his mind.

"I need some kind of pretence to burst in there," he muttered as he rummaged through the cupboards for cutlery. Finally satisfied, he headed out the door towards her house.

As he made his way across the abandoned marketplace, his resolve grew with each step.

oOoOoOo

Annabelle sat on the couch of her house with her knees drawn to her chest and Knight lying at her feet. "He's not coming, is he boy?" she whispered, feeling disappointed. She kind of expected Ben to have crashed through her door by that time, but there hadn't been so much as a knock on the door. A patched quilt was wrapped her shoulders as she stared at nothing in particular, warding off the worst of the night air.

She clutched it tighter when she remembered what had happened with the Crawler. How could she have been fooled so easily? Had she been so desperate to see Ben that the Crawler could use it as a weapon against her? In hindsight, it was stupid to believe that he could find her so easily and precisely when she was at her weakest.

_Shows just how stupid I was. I should have told him how I felt from the beginning._ Almost dying had put things into perspective at last. She loved Ben and damn the rest of Albion if they couldn't accept it.

With this thought, she got to her feet and headed to the door to go to Ben. If he wouldn't come to her, then she'd simply go to him. Besides, she was about ready to kick his ass for doing this to her.

_Stupid Ben. First I'm going to give him a piece of my mind and __**then**__ I'm going to tell him how I feel._


	24. Chapter 24

_AN: Hello! Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews, favourites and alerts! I can't tell you how much they mean to me ;) _

_Another one of those chapters I wrote over and over without being satisfied with the end result…though I have to say I like this a lot more than my first couple of attempts._

_Chapter 24_

Ben paused with his hand ready to knock on the door, unsure if he should. He'd been confident about it a few seconds ago, but now he wasn't so sure if it was the wisest idea to see her. He was still mulling over these thoughts in his head when the door suddenly swung open.

Annabelle looked up at him in shock, her green eyes wide. It was clear she was just as surprised to see him standing in the door.

"Hey, Princess," he said, masking his discomfort with a smile. "Sorry for bothering you so late. Guess you couldn't sleep either."

"Ben." The surprise vanished from her eyes and he could swear that she looked pleased, if a bit flustered. "I…come in."

"Thanks." Ben strolled in the room, his one hand uncomfortably tucked into his pocket with the other grasping the basket of food. The room was tastefully decorated, probably the work of Jasper. Ben turned to Annabelle, who was looking just as uncomfortable as he was. _Maybe this wasn't the best idea._ In an attempt to cut the tension, Ben did what he always did. He talked.

"Nice place you got here."

"Thanks." Her gaze fell on the basket in his hand. "Is that…it that a basket?" A dark eyebrow quirked as a small smile played on her lips. "I never thought you to be the type to skip around with a basket, Ben. Usually we leave that to the little girls wearing red hoods," she joked.

"Didn't you hear? It's a new regulation that rebel soldiers are required to carry a basket on all assignment which involves visiting the rebel princess at night, ma'am," he replied and gave her a small salute.

She gave a small chuckle and simply shook her head. "While it might be very manly, might I ask why you're carrying a basket?"

He stroked his chin in mock thought. "Well, knowing you, you've forgotten about dinner and it just so happens that I happen to have this lovely basket of food. One plus one equals…?"

"I'm not hungry, Ben," she interrupted, crossing her arms.

"Big revolution tomorrow, Princess. You need to keep your strength up. So, by order of your new general, you have to eat. With me. Right now," he said in a commanding voice and a wink in her direction.

The princess rolled her eyes and gave a surrendering sigh. "Fine. I'll go set the table."

"Nope," he said, popping the p of the word. "We're going to have a good old-fashioned picnic under the stars. Are those stairs to the roof?"

Her eyes widened for a moment before she fixed him with a neutral stare. "Are you insane? I'm not going up there. It's freezing," she stated simply.

"My food, my rules, sweetheart. So are you going to get your little behind up those stairs or am I going to have to carry you?"

Her eyebrow quirked again and she crossed her arms in defiance. "You wouldn't dare," she hissed, staring him down.

"Oh? Is that a challenge?" He took an experimental step towards her and her eyes narrowed even further.

"Captain Benjamin Finn, I swear if you touch me, I'll-" She was cut off with a shriek as he closed the distance between them and grabbed her to hoist her over his shoulder. "Ben!" she shrieked again and thumped her fist against his back. Knight, who'd lifted his head up from his place by the fire at his mistress's scream merely gave them an appraising look before settling down to sleep again.

"Stop fighting or I swear I'm going to drop you," he said in a sing-song voice as he started climbing up the stairs, fairly oblivious to her punches and kicks. He knew that she could hit harder than she was doing, so it was clear that she wasn't too serious in her protestations.

"Put me down, you overgrown buffoon! I command you to release me this instant, Captain!"

"Come on, sweetheart. You can insult me better than that. "Overgrown buffoon"? Really?" he quipped as he pushed open the door that led to the roof. After pushing it close with his foot, he locked the door with the key he'd found on the counter and slipped it into his pocket.

Finally, he put her down on the ground and she fixed him with a death stare. "You are going to regret that, Captain. Kidnapping of royalty is considered a hanging offence," she ground out.

"Kidnapping? Please," he tossed over his shoulder as he threw open the blanket on the stone floor. "I'm sure you've been through worse things than being escorted, albeit a bit forcefully, by a devilishly handsome soldier, Princess."

"Give me that key, Finn. I'm not joking around," she said, taking a step closer. "I'll take it by force if necessary."

"You'd stick your hand into my trousers? As much as I'd enjoy it, I'd like to see you try, sweetheart," he replied with a wink as laid out the last of the spread, chuckling when he saw a blush wash over her features. "Now take a breath, simmer down and take a seat." With this, he sat down and motioned for her to do the same.

Another loud sigh escaped her lips before she finally sat down, pointedly ignoring him. He knew her well enough by that time to see that she was acting. _Well, bless her heart. She's trying to get a rise out of me,_ he thought with a grin.

"Aren't you going to eat something, sweetheart?" he asked as he started to try some of the food. He couldn't help the contented groan as he swallowed the first of the delicious food. _How long has it been since I ate something not military or rebel issue?_ he wondered as savoured the exotic flavours.

"I told you that I'm not hungry," she declared stubbornly. "Besides, you seem to be enjoying yourself. I'm not going to take your food away.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Come on, Princess. Stop being a royal pain and just eat something. It's really good."

"Fine," she huffed and reached for a plate and a piece of bread. As soon as the first bite hit her tongue, he saw her eyes close as she chewed. "Oh, Avo, this is good," she murmured when she finally swallowed.

"I told you. Now dig in."

They continued to eat in silence and Ben had to stifle a chuckle at the enthusiasm with which the Princess wolfed down the food.

"What?" she asked as she met his gaze and he realized that he'd been staring.

"I'm just amused by the fact that you're not particularly ladylike when it comes to food, Princess," he said with a shrug and she hit him playfully across the arm. He feigned a hurt cry as he clutched his arm. "Why do you keep hitting me?"

"Because you deserve it." With this, she popped the last of the grapes into her mouth and leaned back, stretching her arms above her head. "I don't remember the last time I didn't eat unidentifiable mush."

"There was that one time in Silverpines," he reminded her.

"The time I nearly tore your head off because you kissed me?"

"Yep. That time."

Annabelle leaned back on her arms as she stared up at the heavens. "Not to many stars out tonight," she commented after a while of silence. Ben could almost hear a hint of sadness in her voice and looked at her alarm.

"Is something wrong, Bells?" he asked, moving a bit closer to her.

"No…When I was little, my father and I would lie on the grassy hill behind the castle and stare at the stars while we talked." A small smile played at the corners of her lips. "We used to think up things that the stars resembled. The more outrageous, the better."

Ben didn't know what to say and merely continued watching her as a single tear rolled over her cheek. "I miss him so much," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"Bells..." He moved closer and put one arm around her shaking shoulders. "I'm sorry."

She turned into his embrace as she clutched his shirt to her. "What am I doing? What can I do against something so…so inherently **evil,**" she muttered. "I can't do it without him."

"What are you talking about?"

"I promised Kalin that I'd help, but I can't defeat the Crawler on my own. I tried and failed miserably. If it wasn't for him…"

He was still thoroughly confused. Maybe if she explained from the beginning he'd understand. "What happened since the boat crashed? I'd understand if you don't want to tell me, but…"

She gave an involuntary shiver and he pulled her deeper into his arms, resting his chin on her head. "It was horrible, Ben. I…I've never felt so afraid or alone and the thought that you were dead…" she whispered. "In the cave, there was some kind of monster. It kept whispering and taunting, driving me and Walter into despair. It…it broke him. And it almost broke me."

"How did you get out of there?"

"My father," she said and he felt her smiling softly into his shoulder. Again, very confused, he pulled away to look her in the eye.

"What are you talking about, Bells? Your father?"

Her gaze dropped down as if she was embarrassed. "I know it sounds stupid, but I saw his spirit and he told me to be strong. It gave me the strength I needed."

The memory of the Hero King's words echoed in his head. "I believe you. I didn't want to tell you earlier, but that night after you rescued me, I spoke to your father. He saved me from a horrible dream."

Her forest green eyes widened in surprise. "My father? Really? What did he say?" she asked hesitantly, her eyes sparkling with a hint of hope. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the princess. Deep down, she was simply a scared little girl who missed her father terribly and wanted his approval, even in death.

"He told me not to fear the darkness and to help you defeat it. And to take care of you," he said with a small smile, his hand tenderly caressing her face. "And to tell you that you are stronger than you believe you are and that you are capable of doing anything you put your mind to."

The sparkle of a tear appeared in the corner of her eye. "He said that?" she breathed. "He really said that?"

He gave a nod and kissed her softly on her forehead. "Every word."

"What…what was the nightmare about that my father showed up?" she asked, the concern clearly conveyed in her tone.

"Now that I know, I guess it was the Crawler. I saw my brothers, Swifty and you, all taunting me. It scared me to death," he admitted. "I can't imagine having to go through that in real life."

"So you understand what these Aurorans face every day…And even tonight the sky is clouded from that monster's influence. How can I take on something that dangerous?"

"You can and you will. You've beaten hobbes, hollow men, balverines, lecherous moguls and psychotic soldiers. Call me stupid, but I don't think that there's anything that you can't defeat, Bells." A smirk spread over his lips. "And if all else fails, we could throw Elliot at it as a distraction and run away. I hear Samarkand is wonderful this time of year."

An involuntary giggle escaped her and she looked at him with the smallest of smiles. "Thank you, Ben. For everything."

"My pleasure. I can't even imagine how dull my life would have been if you hadn't come strolling into Mourningwood that day," he replied and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, his hand lingering on her cheek for just a moment too long.

A blush coloured her cheeks as she looked at the ground, playing with one of the laces on her blouse. "I'm sure you would have found some other girl to infuriate and yell at you."

"But none of them would be you, Bells," he said, turning serious. She looked up at him with those huge green eyes, the uncertainty clear.

"Ben…I…There's something I need to say. It's something I should have said a long time ago-" she began, but he cut her off by placing a finger on her lips.

The scene on the boat replayed in his mind and he vowed for a different outcome this time.

"Wait. There's something I need to say first." He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye. "I lied to you. On the boat. I shouldn't have run away. I should have told you how I felt then and there."

"Ben-"

"Please, let me finish." He took her hands in his. "I told you that if I really cared about someone, I'd make her laugh just to see her face light up. What I should have said next was that if I really care about someone, I would do anything to protect her, even if it meant I had to get hurt," he continued, his expression becoming intense. "I would take on the Spire if she willed it."

"And I would do anything to keep her happy, no matter to the cost to myself." He saw the slightest glimmer of hope in her eyes and this was enough to give him courage to continue.

"And if she told me that I needed to bugger off, I'd leave, even though it would kill me." One hand moved to caress her cheek, his thumb tenderly trailing over her skin.

"Tell me to stop and I will. Tell me to leave and I will," he whispered, his heart aching with suspense. "But if you tell me that you want me, if you tell me that you love me, I promise never to hurt you." He took a deep breath.

"I love you," he said, his gaze never leaving hers. _Please…please let her feel the same…_

Then she punched him on the arm. Hard.

"What was that for?" he cried in indignation. "I tell you that I love you and then you hit me?"

"You almost died, you saved me in the desert, you kidnapped me to have a picnic with you under the stars and once I actually got up the nerve to tell you that I love you, you interrupt me!" she shouted, hitting him again and again.

"What?" He stared at her open mouthed. "If this is some kind of joke-" Then he registered what she'd actually just said. "You love me?"

"Yes, you idiot!" she replied, breaking into a huge grin. "And you had to go and be the one-"

Ben cut her off by quickly pulling her flush against him, his lips seeking hers. The smell of wildflowers was even stronger than before and her hair was still slightly damp from her bath when he ran his fingers through her long tresses. She let out a delicious moan when he parted her lips with his, his tongue slipping into her mouth with one swift movement. Never one to back down, she quickly regained her composure and her tongue met his in a passionate battle for dominance. The kiss seemed to last forever, but lack of air forced them to pull apart, panting slightly.

"There you go, interrupting me again," she whispered, the smile still on her lips as she rested her forehead against his.

"What else do you expect? This is me we're talking about," he replied, threading fingers through her hair. "I've never had a patient or considerate bone in my body."

She kissed him lightly on the nose. "I love you, Ben Finn," she whispered, a small smile playing on the corner of her lips.

"Are you sure about this?" he couldn't help but ask.

Her gaze fixed with his. "Both of us almost died, Ben. I almost lost you twice already and this thing with the Crawler made me realize that…that I don't want to lose you. I know that this might end badly and I know I'm going to be queen and that my duties might force us apart, but I don't want to give up on whatever this is without even trying, just because it **might** end. I want to give this a try."

At her words, he couldn't help but break into a huge grin. "You don't know how much I wanted to hear that," he said, running a calloused hand through her thick curls. "I love you, Annabelle. Always have and always will." He lowered his mouth to hers in a slow, gentle kiss. _What did I do to deserve this amazing woman?_

When they finally pulled apart, he could help but notice a flicker of something he couldn't recognize reflect in her eyes. "Something wrong?" he asked hesitantly.

"Why did Major Swift tell me to be careful with you?" she asked suddenly.

Ben's eyes widened in surprise. That wasn't what he expected. "What? Swiftie talked to you about me?"

"Yes. He warned me against hurting you, since you had been hurt in the past. What did he mean by that, Ben?" she asked, her emerald eyes bright with concern.

He steeled himself with a deep breath before answering. "I've…had some troubles in the past. I know I make light of it now, but the truth is…I have a tendency to fall in love very easily. I mean, I was smitten with you before we'd even left Mourningwood! But, the fact is…the women I fell in love with and managed to fall into bed with never saw me as someone to have a permanent relationship with. All I was good for was a good romp and then they kicked me out of the window."

"So…you never ran away?"

"No, I did. Plenty of times. This happened after I got back from Bloodstone and was starting out in the army. I'm not proud to say that I've probably hurt a lot of women with my actions, but I've been hurt equally by many others. I know it's not an excuse, but that is part of it," he admitted.

The expression on her face was laced with sorrow. "So that's what they meant…I'm so sorry, Ben. I completely misjudged you when we first met," she apologised quickly and placed her hand on his cheek. "You've been hurt so much and there I was treating you like a piece of garbage."

"Hey, now, I probably deserved most of it. Don't be fooled, Bells, I've done a lot of foul things to women that I'm not proud of. But I'm glad to say that I'm a changed man. Swift made sure of that," he insisted, covering her hand with his and leaning into her touch. "As did you."

"I have another confession," she added and he quirked an eyebrow in question. "When you were unconscious, I overheard you say that you loved me. I…I didn't know what to make of it."

"You heard that?" He felt a blush reach all the way to his hairline. "Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. I've known that I've loved you since we got back from Reaver's mansion. If I knew this would have happened when I told you, I would have done it a lot sooner."

The princess rested her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh. They continued sitting like that for a while before she finally spoke again. "Where…where do we go from here?" she asked timidly, almost sounding scared and he wondered why she'd sound like that.

_Of course she's scared. Elliot left her after a few months and you're not exactly the most ideal guy to be falling in love with,_ he chastised himself.

_Well, I'm not lying again._

"I don't know. I guess we can figure that out once this revolution is over with," he answered sincerely and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Okay." She let out a contented sigh and he saw her eyes flutter close. "I'm just going to rest my eyes…for five minutes," she muttered, stifling a yawn.

She looked so absolutely adorable that it was hard to keep the smile off his face. "Sure. I'm not leaving."

_Not again_, he added silently.

oOoOoOo

_AN: I apologise for any cavities this might have caused. I know Ben might seem a bit out of character, but I figured that since he's such a passionate person that he wouldn't be anything less in a confession of love. Besides, I'm a sucker for fluff and when this idea popped into my head I couldn't get rid of it. Anywhoo, let me know what you think! _


	25. Chapter 25

_AN: Thank you so much for the continued support!_

_Chapter 25_

When Annabelle woke up the next morning, bright sunlight was pouring through the window and someone's arm was firmly locked around her waist. Slowly, she turned over to face the smiling, yet still sleepy captain. "Hey, beautiful," he said, his grin growing wider.

"How…How did we get here…" She sat up suddenly. "Did we-?"

Ben let out a chuckle and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. "No, don't worry, sweetheart. Believe me, you would have remembered if anything regarding that nature had happened," he said slyly.

"Then what happened?"

"You fell asleep and I carried you down here. I wasn't going to head back to my room in the middle of the night, so…" he trailed off before getting up, stretching his arms above his head. "How these Aurorans sleep on these mats every night is beyond me."

She got up herself, her joints popping with each movement. "I know what you mean…I can't wait to sleep in a real bed again."

"It's almost over, sweetheart. Then can go back to your fancy balls, feathered duvets and frilly dresses," he joked while pulling on his jacket. "And whenever you want escape for a while, a certain devilishly handsome captain would be happy to kidnap you."

"I love you, Ben," she blurted out, smiling shyly.

"I love you too, Bells," he replied softly and gave her a light peck on the forehead. "Now let's go see if that old nut is ready to get up, hmm?"

oOoOoOo

Walter was still unconscious on the stone slab in the temple when they entered the old ruins. "Is he going to be alright?" Annabelle asked, her face lined with concern for her mentor. Ben couldn't help but reach over and give her hand a supportive squeeze.

"He's a tough old nut, Bells," he said comfortingly, but her frown still remained etched on her face.

"Yesterday Kalin said that few ever wake up. How do I know he'll be one of those that do?" she whispered, kneeling next to the old man. At her words, a sudden stab of fear hit him when he thought about just how close he had gotten to losing her, but he shook that thought out of his mind.

"He will. I mean, he has to be tough to keep you in line," he replied, crouching down next to her.

The smallest hint of a smile ghosted over her lips. "Contrary to your belief, you are the only one that I ever had trouble being polite to."

"I do find that hard to believe," he started, but he could see from her worried expression that she was focussed on Walter again.

The princess reached out to take Walter's hand again. "Please come back," she pled, tears brimming in her eyes. "If you can hear my voice, Walter, please squeeze my hand. That's all you need to do."

She repeated the words over and over, her mantra to keep from falling into despair. Ben remembered how hard it had been to lose Swiftie and knew this was equally bad for Annabelle.

After a while with no response, Ben saw how her face contracted in pain and the tears fell freely from her eyes. "No, don't you dare die! Don't you dare leave me alone to see this through!" she cried, her body quaking with sobs. Ben moved to hold her, when the faintest twitch from Walter caught his eye. He thought he'd imagined when the knight gave another toss of his head before his dark eyes started to flutter open.

"Bells, I think he's waking up!"

"Walter?" Annabelle's voice was thick with emotion when she cupped the old man's weathered face. "Walter, are you awake?"

Walter's eyes stared unfocussed at the ceiling before they darted to settle on Ben. "And I get to wake up to your ugly mug. What a joy," he grumbled, pushing himself upright. "Anna, I'm glad to see you made-" His words were cut off when the princess hurtled into his chest and flung her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Walter, you had me so worried," she sobbed, clutching him tightly. After his stunned reaction, Walter finally wrapped his arms around her to pull her into a tight bear hug.

"Thank you for not leaving me behind, Anna," his grizzled voice whispered, the faintest catch in his voice.

"But I did! I left you by those steps!" Her words were muffled by Walter's doublet and Ben had to strain to hear what she said.

"I asked you to leave me and you refused. No one could expect you to carry me out of the desert. Besides, you found help," Walter replied, stroking the princess's hair.

Annabelle pulled away to look Walter in the eye. "I didn't. Ben found me." Her gaze shifted to meet Ben's and he couldn't stop a grin from spreading over his face.

"Yeah. At first I sat moping around at washing up alone, but then I got back up on my feet and used my charm to rally Kalin and a rescue team. Not that she needed much convincing," he replied, his eyes never leaving Annabelle's.

"Really? Ben saved you?" Walter's tone was incredulous and the knight studied him with an expression laced with disbelief.

"Hey, I take offence to that tone of voice!" he said, grabbing his chest melodramatically.

Walter harrumphed loudly at this, but a small smile made it onto his face. "Well, boy, seems you are not useless after all." When he managed to sit upright, the priestess and Kalin shoved the two revolutionaries out of the way, insisting that they needed to work.

"We'll leave in two hours," Kalin said as she shooed them.

"Fine. We'll go get our things and meet you at the dock," Annabelle replied and gave Walter a peck on the forehead. "I'm glad you're alright, Walter," she whispered.

"Right, right. Just go get ready," Walter said, feigning discomfort while the women fussed over him. Ben and Annabelle hurried to her house to get their things before the final stage of the revolution was to be completed.

oOoOoOo

_It's almost over…_Annabelle mused as she stared out over the choppy water. In less than two days they were scheduled to dock in Bowerstone and the final stages of the revolution would begin.

The tension on the boat back to Albion was so thick that Annabelle could cut it with a knife. Everyone was sensing the seriousness of what they were about to do and it showed in their tense expressions and quiet conversations.

_It feels like yesterday that I was dragged to throne room…_

"Where do you think Ben got off to?" Walter's voice asked next to her, yanking her from her thoughts.

"Sorry, what?" she asked and turned to look at her mentor. She couldn't help but notice the dark circles under his eyes that had become even more pronounced since their bout through the cave. Frankly, she was worried about him.

"Ben. You remember the blond buffoon that's been trailing after us since Mourningwood?"

"Oh…I have no idea. I haven't seen him since we boarded," she said vaguely.

Walter fixed her with a questioning stare before letting out a sigh. "Alright, if you say so, Anna. I'd better go find him then. Big strategy meeting in half an hour." With this, he got up from the banister and wandered away, but not before he gave her another strange look.

_It was a good thing we decided not to tell Walter_,she decided as she watched him leave. Just before they boarded, Annabelle suggested that they keep their relationship quiet until she could talk to Walter or until she was queen. It was obvious that Ben wasn't eager to disagree, especially when it came to someone as scary as Walter and she didn't want to upset the old man even further.

Despite both of them insisting that there was nothing between them, the old man had become insistent that he had to keep an eye on both Annabelle and Ben in an effort to keep them apart. So far, it was working exactly as Walter planned that it would. Ben and Annabelle hadn't had one moment alone since they boarded the boat and this was irritating Annabelle just a bit and she knew that it was irritating Ben as well.

She had to hide a giggle when she remembered the way Ben's eyes would cloud with jealousy when one of the Aurorans talked to her. She wasn't oblivious to the way the Auroran men were eyeing her. Apparently they saw her as some type of warrior princess since she'd escaped from the cave alive.

She was flattered by their reverence, but, what was even better, it was clear that some primal possessive part of Ben wanted everyone to know that she was **his** and she had to admit…it thrilled her just a tiny bit that Ben was the jealous type.

_Speaking of the "blond buffoon", where is he? _Knowing Ben, he left in an effort to get some peace and quiet. _Maybe the storage hold?_

It was probably strange to be comforted by barrels of gunpowder and stacks of cannonballs, but, then again, Ben had never been normal.

"Ben? Are you down here?" she whispered as she descended into the musty room. No answer came, but she could hear the deep breathing and faint snoring of someone who was asleep.

As she stepped around one of the fallen crates, she had to stifle a smile at the sight that greeted her.

Ben was lying on one of the burlap sacks, his arms folded behind his head. His hair was in disarray and his mouth was gaping slightly open while he snored lightly. For a muscular former pirate/captain who was known as the best sharpshooter in the army, he looked absolutely adorable.

As much as she wanted to leave him in peace, they had to strategize.

"Ben? You need to wake up," she said gently as she knelt down beside him. "Hello?"

With a visible start, Ben shot upright. "Wha-?" he yawned as he looked around the room.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. It's time for the adults to work," she joked lightly, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

"Then why are you calling me?" he asked, his voice still thick with sleep.

She slapped him lightly on his arm and he muttered a sound of indignation. "Because, contrary to your belief, you are actually in charge of the Swift brigade and you need to come strategize so that you can rally your troops," she said and shook her head. "I swear, half the time you don't realize that you're actually not a teenager anymore."

A load groan sounded in his throat as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Fine, fine. I'll be right up." Even with these words, he still made no motion to get to his feet.

"Really, Ben? Come on," she muttered as she tugged at his sleeve. He let out another yawn as he stretched his arms above his head. Just as she was about to straighten up, Ben reached out one of his stretched arms to grab her waist and pull her down on top of him, his lips already claiming hers.

"Ben, we need to go," she mumbled against his mouth, but she didn't pull away.

"Mm-hm." She felt him smirk against her lips. "If you say so."

Instead of protesting further, she merely sank into his embrace as he deepened the kiss and threaded his calloused fingers through her hair. _Who knows when we'll get a chance to get some alone time again?_ she managed to think as she marvelled at his skilled ministrations yet again.

Just when that thought crossed her mind, she heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Ben? Are you down here?" Walter's voice called and Annabelle let out a curse against Ben's lips.

"Maybe if we stay quiet he'll go away," Ben suggested softly, but she shook her head.

"Or he'll conduct a more thorough search and find the both of us," she replied and let out another sigh. "Just say something."

"Right here, Walter. I'm just checking the ammunition supply," Ben called in reply.

Walter's footsteps stilled. "Oh. Well, you need to be upstairs in about half-an-hour."

"Right, see you then." There was thinly veiled sarcasm in his tone and she punched him lightly on the arm, which earned her a look that was a mixture of amusement and apprehension.

"What?" he asked in a quieter voice.

"He's already suspicious. Do you want to make it worse?" she hissed.

"Ben? Is everything alright?" Walter called and a few footsteps sounded in the hold.

By now, there was a huge smirk on Ben's face. "Yeah, everything's fine!" Ben replied in a cheery tone and gave Annabelle's rear a quick squeeze, which caused her to hit him again.

"Alright." The loud footsteps retreated and Annabelle allowed herself to breathe. She got to her feet, straightening her clothes and dragging her fingers through her mussed hair.

"Come on, Ben, you heard the man."

"You don't think he'll find it suspicious when both of us exit at the same time?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Good point. I'll see you later then. Don't fall overboard again, 'kay?" she said and gave him a light peck on the forehead. "And don't take overly long."

"Wait." He scrambled to his feet and grabbed her waist again, this time pushing her against of one of the supply crates in a searing kiss.

"Just one for the road," he whispered when they broke the kiss, shooting her a wink and a smirk.

When she finally managed to breathe again, she rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him out of the way.

"That is going to get old, you know," she called over her shoulder as she started up the stairs.

"Doubt it, Princess," she faintly heard him reply and she could stop from breaking into a grin.

_No, it certainly won't,_ she mused.

oOoOoOo

_AN: More fluff! Sorry, I couldn't resist ;) Next stop, Bowerstone for the big fight!_


	26. Chapter 26

_AN: Hello again! I'm so sorry of the delay, but I had to move out of my res for the holiday so all of my things, including my laptop, were (and are still ) packed in boxes, so things are crazy._

_Thank you so much for the review, story alerts and favourites! I really appreciate them ;)_

_As usual, please read and tell me what you think!_

_Chapter 26_

The outline of Industrial was just visible on the horizon in the dusky light when they finally reached Albion waters.

Annabelle felt shiver of anticipation mixed with slight foreboding running down her spine at the prospect of ending the rebellion. As she mulled over her mixed emotions, she felt a comforting presence next to her.

"Almost over, huh," Ben stated, leaning slightly on the banister.

"I suppose it is…" she replied softly while trying to mask the unease that she was feeling.

Some sign of her anxiety must have sounded in her voice, because Ben immediately turned to look at her with a concerned expression. He wrapped a hand over hers, careful not to let the other crew members see, and gave it a supportive squeeze.

"We can do this…I believe in you, Bells," he whispered, his blue eyes blazing with fierce determination.

She shot him a small smile and squeezed his hand back. "Thank you, Ben." Suddenly, the feeling of dread gripped her heart in a death vice and she had to stop herself from pulling Ben into a tight embrace.

"Please, be safe," she insisted urgently, tightening her hold on his hand. "I can't lose you again."

"We all know how this story goes, sweetheart. The devilishly handsome soldier never dies and neither does the beautiful princess," he replied in a light tone, but she could see the silent plea in his eyes for her to stay safe as well.

"I love you."

She'd barely finished speaking before he pulled her into the shadows to claim her lips in a quick but urgent kiss.

"I love you too, Bells," Ben whispered when they pulled apart. "Be careful."

"Aren't I always?" she replied with a quirked eyebrow and a smirk as she caught Kalin's eye over Ben's shoulder. The painted woman wore a pleased expression on her face and gave her a small nod of her head motioning for her to come closer.

With a deep intake of breath, she steeled her shoulders and headed out to the deck.

oOoOoOo

The ship had barely settled on the shore of the Old Quarter before the rebels stormed the town. As soon as they took their first few steps, a ball of fire landed a few meters in front of them, causing them to leap to the ground to avoid being hit with shrapnel.

"Captain, Walter! Cover me!" Annabelle shouted to the men at her back as she jumped to her feet and charged the mortar that was perched at the top of the hill, Knight hot on her heels.

The quay was literally crawling with Logan's soldiers, but months of fighting had honed the princess's skills to the point that the men trying to stop her were nothing more than nuisances that had to be eliminated.

As she beheaded another with a swift flourish and Knight ripped out another soldier's throat who was stupid enough to try and sneak up on her, she saw a group of men creeping up on Page's group at the bottom of the hill. She quickly charged a ball of fire mixed with lightning and tossed it in the enemies' direction, instantly killing them. The dark rebel leader shot her a quick nod of thanks and Annabelle continued on.

When she finally reached the top, it took mere seconds to take care of the mortar as well. With a glance in the direction of the castle, she could tell Logan wasn't going to make it easy for her to get to him, if the blockades and battalions of soldiers were anything to go on.

"Well, Princess, if you're thinking that this isn't going to be a picnic, I think you're right," Ben's voice said from behind, panting slightly.

"I'd applaud your observational skills, Captain, if it wasn't for the enemy soldier standing right behind you," she tossed over her shoulder before frying said soldier with a fire ball. At this, Ben let out a yelp of indignation and jumped out of the way.

"I saw him. I just thought you needed target practice," he retorted, brushing the soot off of his uniform. "Clearly, you do. You almost hit me. Again."

"Trying to fry Ben again, Anna? Isn't it a little early in the morning for that?" Walter asked when he finally joined them.

"It's never too early for that," she replied with a slight smile as she started to run towards the square, her mentor and captain quick on her heels.

They split up again and on her way towards the market square, she ran into another group of ordinary soldiers. "Halt! We are hereby ordered to arrest you, Princess," one said in a slightly shaky voice and she could see from his markings that he held the rank of lieutenant.

"Do you honestly want to try?" she asked carefully and cocked her pistol.

"Surrender and we won't hurt your allies-" he started again, but she stilled him by holding up a gloved hand.

"Listen men, I don't want to kill you, but if you stand in my way, I will cut you down," she warned and she could see their eyes widening in fear. She didn't want to kill anyone if she could help it, but she didn't come this far to be stopped by a group of mere soldiers. They weren't even a part of Logan's guard, so they would stand no chance what so ever against her.

The lieutenant turned to look at his brigade, clearly gauging if they could take her. They were about fifteen men strong and she hoped that he wouldn't be foolish enough to believe that they could stop a Hero.

His next words proved his naivety. "Charge!" the leader called and she let out a sigh before swinging her sword in an arch, careful not to aim for anything too important as the first line stormed her. The Hero blade sang as she weaved through their frantic swings and the expressions on their faces were almost comical as they realised that they couldn't even touch her.

She brought the leader to his knees with a sweeping kick and she held the tip of her blade to his bobbing adam's apple. "Do you yield?"

"King Logan ordered-"

"I don't give a damn about Logan's orders! I'm offering you the chance to fight with the resistance and keep your lives or do you want your brigade to end up worse than they are?" she asked fiercely, motioning to the men who were lying on the ground clutching various injuries.

The lieutenant looked down at the forged steel currently hovering at his throat. "Duty demands that we protect Albion from insurgents," he said, but his motivations were clearly waning.

She had to suppress a sigh of annoyance. "I don't have time for this, so one last chance, Lieutenant. Yay or nay for surrendering?"

A shaky nod followed after her words and she returned it with a cock of her head in the direction of the fighting. "Then what are you waiting for?"

With a couple of swift salutes, they scrambled off and she continued deeper into Bowerstone. The sounds of screams filled the courtyard of the Old Quarter and Annabelle couldn't stop the clenching around her heart at the panicked sound.

_If we don't hurry this up, civilians are going to get hurt,_ she reasoned and pressed on, but an explosive shockwave sent her crashing into one of the buildings. Before she could get her footing, another explosion caused the building next to her to shake and she could feel the foundation giving way next to her. Huge chunks of debris ran from the sky and before she could cover her head, someone yanked her away and pushed her to the ground, shielding her body with theirs.

"Didn't I say we had to stop meeting like this, Bells?" Ben said into her ear, his arm still firmly locked around her shoulders.

"And didn't I ask you to tell me when you felt chivalrous?" she replied, smiling slightly when he helped her to her feet.

His white teeth shone through the sheet of falling dust and soot. "I'm not going to stop being chivalrous until you stop giving me reason to **act** chivalrous, sweetheart. Now let's go get you that crown," he retorted.

As they made their way deeper into the city, the flames in the burning buildings grew even higher and the smoke made it difficult to see more than three steps in front of them. They were also forced to make more than a few detours due to the fallen buildings, which led to a few more battalions of elite soldiers.

One particular group pinned them behind a stack of crates and they were caught in a vicious fire fight.

"Tell me, how much money do you think your brother spent on **just** his personal guard!" Ben yelled as he reloaded his rifle. "They never seem to stop coming!"

She peeked over the crate to squeeze off a shot and managed to hit one of them. "Well, in his defence, they are quite dedicated!"

Ben shot her an amused look as she missed the next few shots. "This is how you properly use a firearm, Princess," he chuckled as he sighted his rifle on one of the furthest men. A perfect headshot followed and she had to stop herself from scoffing at the victorious smirk on his soot-covered face.

"Lucky shot," she grumbled and fired again, cursing silently when she missed again.

"This has nothing to do with luck, sweetheart. This is all born talent," he boasted with a wink before killing another soldier.

She rolled her eyes. "I'd like to see you do **that** with a pistol," she challenged.

Her words were met with a shrug. "Don't go blaming the gun, sweetheart." He took the pistol out of her hands, aimed and shot a soldier right between the eyes. "Nothing to it."

"You know, if you weren't so darn handsome someone would have killed you by now," she grumbled before spitefully kicking him out of their cover before sweeping into the fray to deal with the soldiers with her trusty sword.

_I'd like to see him do __**this**__, _she thought viciously as she did a back spring and landed on one of the elites shoulders and snapped his neck with her thighs. She lunged of the ground at another one, immediately cleaving his skull in two. _Bloody cocky, arrogant arse!_

When they were all dead at her feet and she managed to calm her boiling blood a bit, she allowed herself to meet Ben's eyes, her hand resting on a cocked hip. To her shock, however, his blue irises weren't filled with admiration or shock but rather something that she couldn't quite recognize.

"What's wrong-" she started, but before she could finish, he lunged towards her and grabbed her waist, his lips crushing hers. One of his hands wrapped around her neck to pull her head closer and he wasted no time parting her lips and sweeping his tongue into her mouth. The explosions and gunfire faded into the background and the only thing she was aware of was Ben's arms around her and his lips on hers. She was so shocked that she couldn't quite figure out what was happening and she merely let herself get carried away. She flung her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair, deepening the kiss.

A small part of her brain that was still functioning, however, reminded her where they were and she shoved him off of her. "What is **wrong **with you?" she asked, gasping to catch her breath after his passionate display.

"Avo, Bells, it's already hard to keep my hands off you when you're not doing…**that**!" he exclaimed, motioning to the dead soldier whose neck she'd snapped. "You're going to kill me…You know I have an active imagination and seeing those strong thighs in action-"

"Shut up, Ben," she replied, hiding her blush by heading towards the castle. As she ran, she couldn't help but overhear snippets that he was mumbling to himself.

"Bloody woman…wonder if **that** is possible?…die a happy man…"

Finally, they reached the giant gate leading to the castle.

"If only we knew some sort of tiny, crazy old man who enjoyed blowing things up…" Ben said, quirking an eyebrow. Sure enough, not five seconds later, the gate was blasted off its hinges by a huge explosion.

"Ho ho, Boulder! Good job!" the tiny Dweller man cried, his face lit up with excitement.

"Sabine? How did you get on that side of the gate?" Ben asked in disbelief.

"We Dwellers have our ways, my boy!" Sabine replied happily.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, this little lady next to me has a crown waiting for her and there are still a couple of soldiers that want us dead," Walter interrupted.

"I'll handle that. You go handle Logan," Ben replied quickly, already reloading his rifle.

"Take Knight with you. I'm afraid he'll rip out Logan's throat before I can stop him," Annabelle suggested, stroking the collie's head affectionately. The dog trotted over to Ben's side and gave a loud bark.

Walter gave a nod and started up the pathway. Before following, she shot Ben one last look and her lips split into a small smile that only he would know was laced with slight fear.

"Hope the crown fits, Princess," he said, shooting her his signature grin.

Annabelle's frightened smile turned genuine at the comforting expression in his eyes. "You'd better be there to see it, Captain."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, if only to see you in a dress again," he replied with another wink before running off with her dog in the opposite direction. His disappearance was quickly followed by rifle shots in the distance.

With a steeling breath she turned around to follow Walter up the familiar cobbled path.

oOoOoOo

The halls of the castle were uncharacteristically quiet.

"Strange…I would have thought Logan would have more guards posted this close to him," Walter remarked quietly as they crept down the stone corridors.

"Maybe he didn't believe we wouldn't get this far," she replied equally quiet. _Or maybe he doesn't want to fight anymore. He never was one for violence._

For a moment she hesitated. What was she going to do when she saw his face? He was her brother after all, not some stranger. Would she be able to go through with it?

She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts. No, that was the old Logan, the one she'd grown up with. This Logan executed innocent people, let them starve and left Industrial in the hands of Reaver. This Logan wasn't her brother.

"Where do you think he is?" Walter asked after a few moments of silence.

There was only one place he would be. This all started with the vision from the music box and it's going to end there as well.

"War room," was all she said.

They quickly made her way through the familiar halls to the huge oak doors of the war room.

"Should we knock?" Walter asked, a strange smile on his face. Annabelle gave a shrug and returned the smile. "Nah, you're right. Let's surprise him," Walter chuckled before kicking the door open and Annabelle burst inside, her sword already unsheathed.

Her brother straightened up from his position at the table with a sneer on his thin lips. "And so the child returns…The traitor ever at her side," he stated, his eyes flicking between Annabelle and Walter. "From the sounds of fighting outside and the state of your dress I assume you're here to overthrow me, aye, sister?"

"It's over, Logan. This has gone on too long," she said, keeping her voice as cold as possible and her sword pointed at him. "You've practically destroyed Albion and I can't let it continue any longer!"

"I know, sister," he replied, his tone slightly resigned. "But before you arrest me, I need to tell you why I did what I did."

"She doesn't need to hear anything from **you**, Logan," Walter interrupted, coming to stand next to her.

"She needs to know, Walter," Logan said, his dark eyes never leaving Annabelle's.

She opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by the thud of footsteps outside in the hallway.

"Bells, Walter! All the troops have surrendered!" Ben announced jovially as he burst into the room, shooting a huge smile in the princess' direction. Knight immediately joined her side and gave a loud growl at Logan. Annabelle saw her brother's eyebrow rise at the use of Ben's nickname, but his gaunt face remained mostly neutral.

Ben's face, however, changed from a smile to a dark frown when his gaze settled on the soon to be former king and Annabelle gave a small shake of her head. The captain rolled his eyes, but luckily kept his mouth shut.

"You can say all that you want at your trial, Logan," Annabelle said, turning her attention back to her brother. "Captain Finn, please escort this man to the dungeon. Gently," she added with a pointed look. She knew Ben well enough by then to know that he wouldn't waste the chance to get his revenge for Major Swift's death.

Ben gave a nod of his head and moved to restrain Logan's hands. "Let's go, **your highness**," he hissed, giving him a slight push in the direction of the door.

When the two of them left the room, Walter turned a victorious smile in her direction. "And so we did it, Anna! It's finally over!" he cried, flinging an arm around her shoulders.

"So it is," she replied, a huge smile on her lips as well. _It's finally all over._

oOoOoOo

Ben practically shoved the former king down the stairs to the dungeon where they'd met for the first time.

"It's good to see you well, Captain Finn," Logan said, stumbling to keep his footing on the mouldy stairs. "I apologize for the hospitality extended to you during our first meeting, but I believe you understand that I did what was necessary."

"What was necessary? I'm not even going to bother pointing out why I believe you deserve to be strung up right now. I'll keep that to myself until the trial," Ben growled, trying to reign in his anger. As much as he wanted to, it wouldn't be the best idea to kill him just yet.

Logan gave a small shake of his head and Ben could almost see the glint of a smile on his face. "You're head over heels, aren't you?" Logan chuckled.

"What are you talking about?" Ben snapped, playing dumb.

"I'm not a simpleton, Captain. I believe you proved my point when you refused to disclose her location in this very room."

"And that couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that I'm loyal to her as a soldier should be?" he replied sarcastically.

"You're one to talk about "loyalty", Captain Finn. Was it not you that joined a rebel force to overthrow my rule?" Logan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ben seethed in silence and continued marching forward.

"And aside from all of that, I don't think that you're aware of the fact that you look at her with absolute adoration in your eyes," Logan continued as they entered the dark room.

"With all due respect, shut up, your highness," Ben snapped, pushing him into the only cell that still had a door. It seemed that they had it fixed after Annabelle had blasted it off its hinges. The door closed with a loud clang and Ben turned to leave, but the king's voice stopped him once again.

"If you hurt her, Captain, I will hunt you down and kill you myself, be it the last thing I do."

"Believe me when I say I've had enough threats concerning my actions regarding your sister to not be shocked at another one," he tossed over his shoulder as he left. "Especially coming from a man such as you who still has the audacity to call her sister after all you've done."

"She'll always be my sister, Captain and she still sees me as her brother. You must know her well enough by now to be aware of that. Don't believe that she'll kill me just to please you."

He whirled around to face the tall man. "She might not do it for me, but she'll do it for all the people you've murdered. You've done enough evil to this country to warrant the worst punishment imaginable."

"I don't need to explain myself to you, Captain, but believe me when I say you still have a lot to learn about Annabelle."

"We'll see about that," he hissed, before turning on his heel and storming off.

oOoOoOo

_A few days later_

"Anna, can I come in? Are you decent?" Walter's voice asked from outside.

"Come in, Walter," Annabelle gasped as her handmaidens tightened the laces of her corset.

Walter strode inside, his eyes widening when they landed in her. "Are you alright, Anna? It doesn't look as if you can breathe," he asked, the concern clear in his tone.

She struggled to take a breath as they finally finished. "No…it's just been a while since I actually wore one of these. Apparently it takes another type of fitness to wear a corset. Or learning not to breathe, whichever is easier," she gritted out through the heap of material as they threw the heavy fabric over her head.

"I can imagine that it's going to take some time to get used to all of this again," Walter remarked as she finished getting ready. When she was finally done, she went to stand in front of the mirror.

She barely recognized the girl standing in front of her. The girl in the mirror was wearing a long-sleeved satin ball gown in the deepest of greens. Intricate silver patterns adorned the bodice and the sleeves and the skirt flared out in a wide circle. The girl's hair was carefully woven and braided into an elaborate hairstyle and her makeup was immaculate.

"You look absolutely stunning, Annabelle," Walter said, coming to stand next to her.

"I…I can't even remember being this girl, Walter. It's almost unreal," she remarked, straightening her skirt.

"Let's get this over with," he said with a reassuring smile and squeezed her shoulder.

oOoOoOo

She could hear the crowd even through the door. A sudden flash of nervousness hit her, but she pushed through the doorway none the less.

All of her revolutionary allies were on the balcony. Sabine's chest was puffed out proudly, while Page wore a strangely pleased expression and Kalin looked serene, a small smile adorning her painted lips.

Ben looked as handsome as ever in a spotless uniform, the first clean one she'd ever seen him wear. His eyes never left hers as he wore his signature grin and shot her a sly wink. She returned his smile with a small one of her own as she went to the edge of the balcony.

Walter shot her another proud grin before placing the gilded crown on her head. "All hail the queen of Albion!" he cried and the crowd joined in in the loud cheering.

She remained standing there for a while before all of her allies moved to congratulate her.

"We did it, Princess! Or should I say my Queen," Sabine's voice called excitedly, practically jumping up and down.

"Please, Annabelle is fine," she insisted, unable to keep the smile of her face.

"I have to tell you, when you rocked up in my little camp, wearing that oversized Dweller suit, I didn't believe that you would be able to pull this off. But you did! It's over!"

"I couldn't have done it without you, Sabine. I will always be thankful for the role the Dwellers played in this," she replied cordially.

"Well then, Annabelle, let us go enjoy the festivities!" he exclaimed once more before scampering off.

"He certainly is excited, isn't he?" Page said, coming to stand beside her. "Then again, I suppose we all have reason to be." The dark-skinned rebel leader turned to look at her, a semblance of a smile on her face. "You're a good person, Annabelle. I hope you don't give me reason to change my mind about that."

"I won't, Page. I made a promise, several, in fact, and I intend to keep them," she assured her and Page left with smile.

Kalin simply gave her a mysterious smile before placing a string of small coloured beads into her hands. "It's for luck, my Queen. Luck and prosperity," she said.

"Thank you, Kalin. I appreciate it so much," she said sincerely before securing the beads around her neck. The woman gave a small nod before disappearing as well.

"Hmmm…I apologize, your majesty, but have you seen my good friend, Annabelle? I can't seem to find her," Ben commented from behind. She whirled around and punched him lightly on the arm, the corner of her mouth tilted into a smile. "You look beautiful, Bells," he said, actually sincere for once.

"Thank you, Captain," she said with a nod, her eyes darting to Walter, who standing a few meters behind Ben.

Ben gave a knowing nod. "See you tonight," he mouthed with another sly wink before disappearing into the crowd.

Once again standing alone, she gazed at the carnage in the distance. So many people died for her to get her throne and she had no intention of letting any one of the sacrifices be in vain.

"I'm going to be the queen Albion deserves," she whispered quietly before moving to join her people in the festivities.

oOoOoOo

_Ugh, that ending feels corny…And writing this chapter once again reminded me that I can't write an action sequence to save my life._

_But please, read and review!_


	27. Chapter 27

_AN: Hi there! Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites and story alerts. I appreciate the support so much!_

_I just want to clear a few things up for those who were wondering. Firstly, I don't have the ability to write a successful mature scene and I'm not about to try. There are writers here who write sexual scenes exceptionally well, so I'll leave that to them. Secondly, this story is rated T, so there will be nothing explicit or overly mature. _

_However, just a warning to be careful, there are some indirect references to sex in this chapter, so…yeah. Please don't hate me ;)_

_Also, the next couple of chapters are longer than usual, but once I started, I couldn't stop myself :) _

_Please, read and review!_

_Chapter 27_

After the festivities had finally wound down and everyone had gone home, Annabelle was finally permitted a moment to breathe. She teleported to the sanctuary to quickly visit Jasper.

"Annabelle! It's so good to see you, my lady! Might I add how proud I am off you?" Jasper declared happily before pulling her into an awkward hug. "I wanted to congratulate you after the coronation but you seemed a tad busy. You looked so beautiful, Anna."

"Thank you, Jasper. And I couldn't have done it without you. Any of this," she said as she pulled away.

"I found this the other day." Jasper handed her small package wrapped with brown paper and string.

Her gaze darted between her butler and the unassuming package in confusion. "What is it?"

"I have no idea. It wasn't here before, but I think your father left it here. This truly is a marvellous room. Almost a year later and I'm still finding new things," he said, looking around in awe.

Her thoughts flickered to her father's words in the cave. "Oh, he mentioned this." She eagerly tore open the package and looked down on a leather journal. "It's…it's his diary." She flipped through the pages. "From when he just started out…He made little notes, they're obviously added later…" Something small dropped out of the book onto the ground and she picked it up. It was a charm bracelet with four charms. The one was an elaborate "A", a tiny bird, a crown and the last one was an intricately designed angel.

"It's beautiful…" she muttered as she held the chain to the light. "Can you help me put it on?"

Jasper fastened the clasp and she marvelled at the fine craftsmanship. "This is wonderful. I wish I could thank him…"

"I think he knows, Anna." Jasper took the book from her and put it on her bookshelf. "Well, my dear, you're probably rushing to get back. I overheard, or rather, oversaw young Captain Finn's words," the man said with a meaningful look. "Just be careful, please, Anna?"

At his words, she looked at him in shock and felt the beginning of a blush creeping up her neck. "Jasper! I…I…I don't-"

Her butler let out a chuckle, which he quickly disguised as a cough. "I'm not that old, Highness. Or should I say Majesty? But you don't have to worry, I won't tell Walter. That was actually what I was referring to when I said be careful. Not…" He waved his hand in a flippant wave.

She sighed in relief, though she was still blushing to the roots of her hair. "Don't worry, Jasper. I have no immediate plans to tell Walter."

"Well, head on back before he waits too long."

"Goodbye, Jasper," she said, still tinging pink as she headed back.

For the time being, she'd moved back into her childhood bedroom. Her parents' bedroom held too many bad memories and the enormous room was intimidating. When she got back to her room, she locked the door and fell down on the stool in front of the vanity, immediately setting about removing the multitude of pins in her hair.

The day had been exhausting. Even though she was happy about the revolution being over, she had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind about her brother's trial the next day and what would drive him to such lengths. Add the fact that everyone wanted to congratulate her and remind her of her promises and one could see why she was emotionally drained.

Her mind jumped to Ben's words after their last encounter with the elite guards as well as after the coronation and could feel a blush creep up her neck despite trying to keep her hormones under control. If she took his odd, yet strangely titillating perversion into account, as well as the current intensity of their feelings for one another, there was no disputing what he'd meant when he'd said "See you tonight". Even Jasper knew what he meant! And even though she was looking forward to taking their relationship to the next level, she was also terrified.

Annabelle was long past being a blushing maiden, ignoring the current blush of course, but she was nervous about being with Ben. She knew that he had a string of past lovers and more notches on his bedpost than could be counted and, frankly, she was intimidated.

_Well, if I'm going to be completely honest, I am a bit appalled as well…but from what I know about Ben, I know he's not lying when he says that I'm not just another simple roll in the hay._

She couldn't help but feel scared. She was scarred, not just emotionally, but physically as well and she knew it. What if he was disgusted by the hundreds of marks that marred her skin? True, he'd seen her in Mourningwood, but that was when she'd just started on her quest. She'd done up more than a few scars in the time since then and they appalled even her when she saw them in the mirror. That was part of the reason why she took to wearing long-sleeved dresses.

Her other biggest fear was her will lines that never stopped glowing. Even at that moment, they were casting a faint blue hue in the dark room and they were always moving and writhing. Again, Ben had said that he found them enchanting, but would he still feel that way if he saw all of them and the strange way in which they mirrored her emotional state? For example, her mixed terror and excitement was causing them to flicker with an intensity and an erratic pattern that she'd never seen before. _Who knows what they'd do if we…if I'm…_

With Elliot it had been easy. She had been young, in love, untouched by any marks and, more than anything, she'd been naive. Back then she still believed that once a woman slept with a man, it was their way to pledge their undying love to each other and that they'd be together forever. Men like Ben who jumped from one bed to the next had disgusted her.

The revolution had forced her to grow up and see different sides of the life, as well as change her perspectives. However, that hadn't changed the fact that she was self-conscious about what had happened to her body. Maybe it had to do with the fact that she'd been groomed to always look and act perfect or maybe it was that bane of vanity that plagued every woman in some way, but she couldn't make herself believe that he would accept her unconditionally.

_I mean it's __**Benjamin Finn**__! The women he's slept with…No matter what they'd been doing for a living, they would have had to be gorgeous to catch his eye in the first place._

As she removed the last of the pins, she heard a rustle at her window. At the noise she grabbed her sword and hid behind the curtains. A shadow appeared and she readied her sword, but before she could attack, something grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall, causing her sword to clatter to the ground.

Her lips split into an involuntary smile as she recognised her captain's laughing eyes and her fears were put on hold for a moment.

"Your window was open. As the captain of your army, I have to point out the safety hazards in your living area," Ben whispered, smiling in the dim light as his hands moved down to encircle her waist.

"Well, I appreciate your dedication, Captain," she replied coyly, placing her hands on his shoulders. "I believe you should be rewarded…"

His smirk grew wider. "Hmm…what do you have in mind, your highness?"

"I'll let you decide," she whispered, standing on the tips of her toes to softly press her lips against his in a chaste kiss. She lifted a hand to cup his cheek and the other went around his neck. She couldn't help but miss the stubble that had always covered his jaw and the dress uniform he currently wore felt foreign to her fingers. The smell of wood smoke, sweat and gunpowder mixed with cheap sandalwood cologne that she'd come to associate with him had also been replaced by the scent of actual soap and something that she couldn't identify, but he still tasted exactly like the Ben she'd come to love_._

He smiled against her lips and pulled away to look her in the eye. "What sane man can say no to that? But you have to know that I have something **very **particular in mind," he said with a sultry wink.

"And what's that?" she asked lightly, trying to keep a blush from creeping over her face.

"Well…I remember a certain display earlier that I haven't quite been able to get out of my mind." He lowered his mouth to hers. "I was hoping you can help me with a little imagination problem I've been having," he breathed against her lips before pulling her closer against him and deepening the kiss.

His tongue swept into her mouth, teasing and stroking all the right places and a quiet whimper sounded in her throat. The sound seemingly enticed Ben even further, for he pressed her even harder into the wall, his tongue and lips becoming more insistent.

Not one to be submissive, she hooked a leg around his thigh and pulled him closer against her. She darted out her tongue to tangle with his and Ben uttered a fierce growl as they fought for dominance. The intense sound sent a shiver down her spine and she had to bite back another moan. Mentally, she scolded herself for suddenly behaving like some wanton maiden in a romance novel with Ben, but another part of her mind reminded her that her only other encounters of this nature was with Elliot, who was nowhere as determined or talented as the blond captain.

At the feeling of his experienced hands touching and caressing every sensitive part of her seemingly all at once, his tongue plundering her mouth and his hard chest pinning her against the wall, she had to remind herself to breathe. Add the evidence that he was **very** excited and one could see why her heart was hammering in her chest.

A bout of sudden panic gripped her chest. "Wait," she interrupted as she suddenly pulled away, still panting. Ben fixed her with a raised eyebrow, but looked at her expectantly, also breathing heavily. "I never thanked you for what you did in the desert," she explained quickly, trying to keep her wits about her.

"And you thought now was the time best to tell me." He sounded slightly annoyed, but she could make out a faint blush look of embarrassment on his face. "That was nothing."

"Really? Carrying me halfway across the desert is "nothing"? I would hate to find out what you considered to be "something"," she replied, smiling.

"How did you find out about that, anyway? I didn't tell you."

"Those Aurorans are worse than a group of gossiping old wives. All they could talk about was the rude, stubborn soldier of Albion who refused to let anyone touch his princess. Their words, not mine." She moved her hand to gently caress his face. "Though I can't understand why you would be stupid enough to refuse help. You are obviously looking for an early death."

"Just because I have some twisted pride problem doesn't mean that I wanted to die. I just couldn't see why he would fare better than me at carrying you," he said, shrugging.

She felt her eyebrow quirk involuntary. "Oh? So the fact that he was twice your size and grew up in the desert wasn't a sign?"

"You could've just stopped at thank you," he grumbled. "No need to hurt my pride as well."

Her hand still lingered on his face. "Can you tell me why you did it?"

A playful smirk tugged at the corners of his chapped lips. "Well, it was either the inherent "damsel in distress and I needed to play knight-in-shining-armor" problem that I have, or the "Can't keep my hands off a gorgeous woman" thing. I haven't decided which," he shrugged. His fingers lightly trailed over her face as his smile softened. "Or…maybe it's because I couldn't stand the thought of you dying without knowing that I love you. Pick whichever one you like."

The next question dropped from her lips before she could stop herself. "Why?"

"You know, I have a lot more creative uses for your mouth in mind than asking questions," he commented with a light chuckle. "What do you mean by "why"?"

"Why do you love me?" she asked softly, not meeting his eyes.

He tilted her chin so that she had to look at him. His eyes were flooded with concern. "What's wrong? Are you having second thoughts about us?"

"No, I just…I just need to know…why?" she whispered. _Damn my stupid insecurities!_ she thought, sighing inwardly.

The concern was replaced with another one of his smirks, even though the usual arrogant effect was lessened by the softness in his eyes. "Because you're smart, resourceful, funny, sweet and easily the most beautiful woman I've ever seen…among other things," he replied, trying to seem light-hearted. "I can't tell you why I love you, Bells, but I do…and nothing is going to chance that."

"Ben-"

He stilled her with a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth. "I promise. I'm not going to change my mind about you, Bells," he said as he rested his forehead against hers. "But…you know…tit for tat and all that, so why do you love **me**?"

It wasn't so much his words as the way he said it that abated her fears and she couldn't help but break into a smile. "Oh? Why do I love you?" she asked jokingly, pursing her lips in mock thought. "Well, you're infuriating, arrogant, annoying, sarcastic-"

She was cut off when he muttered a sound of indignation and frowned playfully. "Oh, and you're charming, handsome, caring and no other man would have been silly or headstrong enough to do half of the insane things that you do for me. Now kiss me," she commanded, laughing.

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted. He leaned over and captured her lips slowly, gradually deepening the kiss until she almost nothing more than a puddle of melted pleasure. When she was firmly pressed against the wall, she felt his hands slip behind her back to work the laces of her dress. However, they stilled for a moment.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? Though I might need a cold bath or seven, we can wait if you want to," he asked gently, his face betraying how much he wanted her to say yes.

_What was I so concerned about? _"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," she replied sincerely. He broke into a sly grin and immediately set about unlacing her dress, his teeth nipping lightly at the pulse point in her neck.

Just as she was about to tell him that she had needed three women to help her into the dress, she felt the ties loosen and the dress pooled around her feet, the corset quickly following after it.

"I don't know whether to be appalled or pleased that you managed to do that," she commented as she used his shoulders as support to step out of the dress, wearing nothing but a satin slip.

"Just go with pleased. There are fewer questions that way," Ben replied, claiming her lips almost immediately as his hands started exploring her now exposed skin. She caught herself catching her breath at each touch of his calloused hands and some part of her still mind that was still functioning wondered how he could turn her, a Hero and the queen, into a whimpering mess of a woman.

His fingers brushed the hem of her slip, clearly intent on removing it as well. Deciding that she needed to get some control back, she placed her hands over his and he stopped in his tracks. "Uh-uh, Captain. I'm not losing one more article of clothing before you do," she tsked, her hands already moving to unbutton his vest.

Without breaking the contact of their lips, he shrugged off his jacket and tossed it into the corner. "There, satisfied?" he mumbled, fumbling with the hem of her slip once again.

"Not even in the least," she gasped as his fingers grazed a particularly sensitive spot on her thigh.

With an exaggerated sigh, he broke the kiss and yanked the shirt over his head, exposing every inch of his muscular upper body. She had to hide a pleased smile at finally seeing him shirtless without peeking out of a screen.

Obviously, she hadn't hidden it as well as she thought, for he grinned widely as soon as the thought crossed her mind. "Is there a reason you're smirking like a cat that caught a canary?"

She shyly ran her hands over his stomach, marvelling silently at the chiseled muscles of his chest and abs and the way he shuddered at her touch. Clearly, she wasn't completely powerless. Her fingers grazed the puckered skin of several old scars and she shivered slightly when she imagined the wounds that had caused them.

"You're beautiful," she whispered, meeting his eyes. His face was unreadable, save for his expressive blue irises. There was no mistaking the unadulterated lust and love that burned in his gaze. "I love you."

The damnable smirk he always wore split over his lips and he placed a hand over the one she still had on his chest. "I always knew I could evoke words of love with my chiseled physique-"

A swift punch on his arm cut him off and he cried out in mock pain. "Fine! Fine! I love you too," he laughed, moving to pick her up so that she could wrap her legs around his hips. Her lips melded with his once more and she threaded her fingers through his blond hair.

"Now…What do you say about telling me what that daydream of yours was?" she whispered huskily into his ear.

"I'll settle for showing you," he stated as he carried her to the bed and proceeded to demonstrate her exactly what he'd been dreaming about, at the same time unkowingly chasing away every fear that she could ever have about him rejecting her.

oOoOoOo

Much later that night, as Annabelle lied tangled in Ben's arms, her head resting on his chest as she listened at the steady beat of his heart, she struggled to fall asleep. After the euphoria and endorphins had finally worn off and despite being exhausted by their amorous activities, she found herself much too stressed about what was going to happen the next day to succumb to sleep.

Her gaze drifted up at her blond captain sleeping beside her. His usually slightly messy hair was lying across one of his closed eyes, tousled in the most attractive way possible and his mouth was parted slightly, soft snores slipping out every few minutes. Even exhausted, carelessly draped across the pillow and hogging all the covers, he was the most perfect man she could lie next to.

She wormed herself into deeper his arms, revelling in the feeling when he wrapped them tighter around her waist, muttering something unintelligible. Even though she loved her independence and she knew Ben knew it, she'd never admit that she seldom felt safer than when she was in his arms. Feeling more content, she smiled into his chest and closed her eyes. Even so, she still couldn't fall asleep and she turned over, trying to settle down.

Unfortunately, a stray foot kicked Ben in the shin and he opened his eyes slowly, his beautiful blue eyes cloudy with sleep. "What now?" he muttered groggily and she couldn't stop the giggle that slipped from her lips at his rumpled appearance. "Is it time to get up?"

"No, not yet. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," she said softly and her finger traced the light scar on his chin. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay." He dropped his head onto the pillow, the snoring signalling that he'd fallen asleep almost immediately. She tried to do the same, but her mind refused to calm down.

As silently as she could, she slipped off the bed and stumbled to the couch in front of the fireplace, her bare feet freezing from the cold stone floor. She pulled a stray quilt around her shoulders and stared at the dying embers in the fireplace in an attempt to keep quell her rampant thoughts.

_Tomorrow, I'm either going to sentence my brother to death or allow a tyrant to live…How do I make a decision like that? I was never groomed to be a ruler! I was merely the younger Princess that had to marry well and have children…I always looked up at Logan…I practically idolised him and now I have to judge at his trial. How do I know what the right decision is?_

Annabelle didn't know for how long she sat with her thoughts before a set of warm arms wrapped around her shoulders. "First you kick me awake and then you leave me alone in bed. For shame, Princess," Ben's voice scratched from behind.

She turned around so that she could look him in the eye. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you up again."

"It's fine. Just come back to bed, please," he asked, his tone slightly annoyed and still thick with sleep. "For a moment when I woke up alone, I honestly thought that I'd dreamt that last part."

"I'll be right there, Ben…I just need to think for a while." Though she was careful about keeping the smile on her face, some of her apprehension must have shown somehow for Ben immediately came to sit next to her.

"What's wrong, Bells?" Ben asked, grasping her hand in his. "Something's bothering you."

"I…It's nothing," she insisted, not meeting his eyes.

"If it was nothing, it wouldn't be bothering you and you wouldn't be losing sleep," he reminded her, pulling her into his shoulder. She could sense how concerned he was about her from the way he wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and kissed her gently on the top of her head.

Even so, she couldn't saddle him with her troubles. This was her burden to shoulder alone. "Ben-"

"You're thinking about tomorrow, aren't you?" he interrupted suddenly, playing with a strand of her hair and she glanced at him in surprise. She'd forgotten how perceptive he could be. "I have been known to have quite the set of broad shoulders if you want to share," he said lightly, but his meaning was clearly conveyed.

Another sigh escaped her lungs and she sagged against him. _Maybe it'll help to get a second opinion. Besides, there are few people I trust more than Ben._ "Yes. I don't know what to do. I don't want to think about it right now, but I can't help it."

"This'll be your first ruling…Of course you're worried," he said soothingly.

"But what do I do? Either way, people are going to be angry with me."

"You know my thoughts on the matter, Bells. I'm not the right person to ask that," he sighed.

"No, I do not. We've never spoken about it," she argued, pulling away slightly to look at him and she could feel him tensing. "There were insinuations, but you never outright told me what you thought."

"Do you want my honest opinion?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and she nodded slowly. "I want him dead. He deserves to die for what he did."

At his thinly-veiled contempt, she couldn't help but move away from him. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and looked at the ground. "I see."

"This is why I didn't want to talk about this. I didn't want to ruin tonight," he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"No, I asked you what you thought and you told me," she said flatly. Some part of her had hoped that Ben could forgive Logan for what he'd done. She herself hadn't forgotten his cruelty, but he was still her brother and she loved him. Secretly, she knew that he could redeem himself.

"Bells, please don't be angry with me," he pled quietly, taking her hand again.

"I'm not angry, Ben." She looked him right in the eye and broke into a forced smile. "I appreciate that you told me the truth."

Ben pulled her closer to claim her lips roughly and she almost forgot about what was troubling her. "Let's worry about tomorrow later. I don't want to spoil the first night we spend together," he mumbled through kisses.

Without breaking the kiss, Ben moved off of the couch and slipped his arms underneath her legs to lift her up, bridal style. "Ben! Put me down!" she gasped as he carried her to the bed.

"No. We're getting back in bed. Now," he commanded.

She could barely manage to nod before he placed her down on the bed, quickly pressing her into the mattress with another kiss.

_We'll worry about tomorrow later,_ was her last coherent thought before she slipped into a state of bliss.


	28. Chapter 28

_AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews, story alerts and favourites. I really appreciate each and every one of them!_

_Chapter 28_

Tomorrow, however, came much quickly to Annabelle's liking.

The next time she woke up, the sun was just starting to rise outside of her window and she turned to look at the man whose hand was languidly trailing from her hip to her shoulder.

"Hey, sweetheart," he whispered, his lips softly caressing her neck in a line of kisses.

"I'm surprised to see you here…As per your reputation, I would have imagined that you'd be scaling the rooftops by now." She gasped when his teeth grazed her collarbone.

"And why would I do that?" His hand moved to stroke her outer thigh. "There's nothing chasing me from your bed and even if there were, I wouldn't leave."

She opened her mouth to reply when he suddenly turned them over so that he was on top of her, his lips moving lower from her clavicle. A soft moan sounded in her throat when his lips moved to caress her stomach, and he slowly, teasingly, worked them lower-

"Annabelle? Can I come in?" Walter's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Just a minute!" she cried and shoved Ben off of her. The naked captain landed on the ground with a loud thump and a slight grunt of indignation.

"I just said that I wouldn't leave for anything," he hissed as he got to his feet.

"Then **you** can explain to Walter why you were in my bed," she replied, tossing his clothes in his direction.

He seemed to weight the option for a moment before shrugging. "Good point," he said while he yanked on his pants.

She rolled her eyes while pulling on her own dressing robe. "Get in the wardrobe."

"Ah, I've been promoted to hiding in the **Queen's** dresser. I'm **so** glad I made some progress," he muttered sarcastically before opening the closet door and getting in. "Just so you know, I'll want some compensation for this."

"Shut up, Ben." With this, she kicked the door closed and opened her bedroom door. "Hello, Walter! What are you doing here so early?" she asked with feigned enthusiasm.

"Did I hear someone else's voice in here?" Walter commented as he walked into the room, a confused, yet suspicious expression on his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Walter. It's just me," she replied, purposefully moving in front of the oak dresser.

"Oh…I could have sworn…Anyway, I came by to tell you that the trial is scheduled to begin in three hours and that your new aide is waiting in the treasury to meet you." Walter stroked his chin in thought. "Strange fellow, but he seems capable."

"Give me half an hour and I'll be ready," she assured him and subtly moved to guide him out of the room, but he refused to move.

"I know today is going to be tough on you, but I have the utmost trust in your ability to make the correct decision," Walter said suddenly, a sad look in his eye. "You've come so far, Anna…I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you, Walter…I wouldn't have been able to do it without you," she said sincerely, but grasped his arm in an attempt to lead him out.

"You look exhausted," Walter commented suddenly, standing still once again. His dark eyes took in the disarray of her room. "Knowing you, you spent the whole night bent over your desk, trying to distract yourself. Did it work?"

"You could say that." A soft laugh disguised as a cough sounded from the dresser and her foot involuntary flew out to kick it.

Walter's gaze immediately turned to the wardrobe. "What was that?" he asked, clearly suspicious once again.

"Oh…Probably a mouse…I've had some trouble with them ever since I moved back into this room. It was abandoned for so long…" she said vaguely, kicking the door again when another noise sounded from the dresser.

"I'll call the maids right now!" he insisted and Annabelle grabbed his arm, an exasperate sigh dropping from her lips.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it later," she ground out through gritted teeth. _This is __**not**__ how I wanted to start my reign as queen!_

"But Anna-"

"Walter, please! Just…let me get ready, please?" she said, forcing a smile. "I'll see you in a while."

Walter raised a thick eyebrow, looking sceptical. "Very well, Anna. I'll see you later," he tossed over his shoulder before he left.

She quickly shut the door behind him and sagged against it. "You can come out now."

"Wow, this's one of the nicer dressers I've ever spent time in," Ben said thoughtfully as he stretched out his arms.

"I have to say, I honestly thought you'd be better at hiding, Captain," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "Did you want him to find you?"

"No, but you have to admit, the double entendre was hilarious." Ben came over to where she was standing and took over massaging her temples. She closed her eyes, sighing against him and she could feel Ben's lips gently caressing her forehead. "You know, we still have a few minutes before you need to go meet your aide…"

"Mmmm…What ever could we do for that time?" she replied coyly, fluttering her eyelashes in his direction.

"I have a few ideas-"

"Your majesty! Can we come in?" a female voice called from the other side of the door and Annabelle and Ben both let out a simultaneous string of curses. For a moment they both stared at each other in amusement before Ben let out a quiet chuckle.

"I didn't even know you **knew** that word," he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "It's fascinating what a few months in the company of men-"

"Not the time, Captain!" she hissed as she shoved Ben in the direction of the dresser again. "And shut up this time!" She took another deep breath to calm herself. "You can come in," she called to what was sure to be her handmaidens. And she was correct.

After she was thoroughly cleaned and dressed in her new queen suit, she finally managed to get rid of the gossiping girls. By this time, she was late to meeting her aide and Ben was slightly irritated about hiding in a closet for about an hour.

Ben started for the door, but she stopped him. "Do you honestly want to risk running into Walter leaving my bedchambers looking like that?" she asked, motioning to his dishevelled appearance.

"I can't believe I'm still hiding in closets and leaving by way of window…" he sighed before placing his leg on the sill, prepared to jump. "I'll see you at the trial, Bells."

"I'm sorry…this is really not how I wanted to spend this morning," she apologized and pulled him into a tight embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. And don't worry about this. I came into this knowing that this isn't going to be the easiest relationship I've ever been in and, frankly, it could have been much worse. At least they knocked. Imagine if Walter had walked in while we were busy…" he trailed off playfully before placing a light kiss on her cheek. "I promise you're going to have more than enough chances to make it up to me."

They shared one last kiss before he disappeared out of the window and she cast a wistful look after him. _It's never going to be simple is it? No matter how much I want it to be,_ she mused silently before she left to start her first day as queen.

oOoOoOo

"All stand to attention for the queen of Albion!" Walter's voice boomed and the people in the throne room all rose as one, cheers erupting from every side.

Ben couldn't help the surge of pride he felt when Annabelle swept into the room in her queen suit, the burnished circlet resting on her dark curls. The regal clothing emphasized every one of her gorgeous curves and he had to take a deep breath to keep a knowing smirk off of his face when he remembered the previous night. "_Strong thighs" aren't enough to describe __**those**__ legs,_ he mused slyly. His inappropriate thoughts were brought to a screeching halt, however, when she reached the dais. She wasn't the warmest person around strangers, but Annabelle usually had some semblance of emotion on her face. The woman in front of him wore a cold mask of indifference.

The expression on her face remained neutral as she took her seat on the throne. "You may be seated," she said calmly to the people in front of her. The crowd were quite restless and Ben could see that they wanted blood.

Blue eyes flickered to his queen's face. She seemed impassive, but he knew she was a bundle of stress under that mask. However, he had no idea what she was thinking.

When he'd voiced his thoughts the previous night, he'd hoped to gauge her reaction to see what she honestly intended to do, but when she drew away from him, it confirmed his worst fears. The possibility existed that she wasn't going to kill him, no matter what he'd done to the people of Albion, after what he'd done to Swiftie.

Logan's words echoed in his head and his hand clenched at his side. _He's wrong…I know her. He's done so much to hurt the people of Albion and she'll realise that,_ he insisted quietly.

"Bring in the accused," she said to Walter and he nodded to the guard at the door. Despite his simple tunic and breeches, greasy hair and cuffed hands, the former king still held his head high and walked tall towards the dais. Pure hatred flooded his veins and Ben had to bite back a snarl when the tall man flashed a look in the queen's direction. Luckily, she seemed to ignore it.

"Logan, former king of Albion, this trial is to sentence you regarding your acts of tyranny and cruelty towards the citizens of Albion while acting as their monarch. Before I hear your side of the story, I'd like to ask the people that helped to bring you to justice for their opinions," Annabelle declared, glancing to her allies flanking her sides.

Sabine was the first to open his mouth. "There isn't a soul alive in this kingdom who hasn't suffered for his glory and plenty died for it. I says, let him have some death of his own!" he stated, his eyes even colder than the Mistpeak Mountains when he looked at the former king. The crowd roared in approval before Walter quieted them down again.

"Thank you, Sabine," Annabelle said courteously. She turned to the dark-skinned rebel leader. "Page? What do you think?"

She seemed to think for a moment. "I understand what Sabine is saying, but aren't we better than that? Isn't this why we fought to be here now? I've seen what Logan's done to this city…people starving to death, children forced to work, but killing him now won't solve anything!" she said, growing more empathetic with each sentence before seeming to calm down. "I say we use his remaining resources to get Albion back on its feet.

The queen nodded in agreement. "Kalin? Do you want to add anything?"

It is not my place to decide his fate, but his betrayal condemned many of my people to death. He promised us salvation and then left us to face the darkness alone," Kalin said with more venom than Ben thought she possessed.

Finally, Annabelle turned to look at him. "Captain Finn? What are your thoughts on the matter?"

Ben took a deep breath before furrowing his brows into a frown and stalking down the stairs to where Logan was standing. "Look, I'm not one for lopping people's heads off, but we saw Major Swift executed like it was a bloody circus act! He deserves nothing less as far as I'm concerned," he hissed at the deposed monarch, pointing a finger at his chest.

Logan merely raised an eyebrow at his rant and he returned to his place next to the throne while the crowd cheered in agreement. After they finally calmed down, she addressed him once again.

"I see, Captain. Thank you for your contribution," Annabelle replied in a monotonous tone, but he could see from the way that she refused to meet his gaze that she was hurt at his words. He set his jaw in defiance. _She asked me what I thought and I'm not going to change my mind. She has to see that executing him is the right thing to do!_

"Logan, now that my allies have had their say, what do you have to say in your defence?" she asked, her eyes focussed on Logan's.

"I had good reason to do the things that I did. The day of my coronation, the blind seer came to visit me. You know of who I speak, sister."

Ben barely heard her sharp intake of breath and it happened so quickly that he thought he imagined it.

"Yes, Theresa, our father's guide. But what is your point, Logan?" she replied, regaining her composure.

"She showed me the future of Albion and it is bleak. The darkness of Aurora is coming. Here to Albion," he declared darkly.

The queen's carefully arranged mask dropped in an instant as the crowds began to gossip loudly in disbelief and ignorance. _Of course no one would believe him or know what he's talking about, _Ben thought. _Hell, even I don't believe him!_ The Crawler was a faceless evil that still caused Annabelle or Walter to shudder when they heard it mentioned, but some foolish part of Ben saw it as just that: an evil he would never have to face himself. To think that it would come to their shores…it was a bit difficult to believe. _Or maybe I don't want to believe it,_ he thought with a shudder.

This stunning declaration, however, did nothing to change Ben's opinion and he still wanted Logan dead.

Annabelle immediately looked at Walter, whose face had become as white a sheet, her green eyes filled with mirrored terror. Ben knew about what she'd gone through in the desert and understood why she was so scared.

However, her impassive mask was slipped firmly back into place a few seconds later and she quieted the hall. "Please, everyone settle down." She looked back at Logan. "If you are not telling the truth Logan, you are gambling more than just your life," she warned.

"You can believe me, Anna. Everything I've done, every crime I committed was to prepare Albion for this threat. If a few had to suffer, it was to build an army. If a few had to die, it was to save a country." With these words he gave a pointed look at Ben before returning his gaze to Annabelle. "You know what has to be done, sister. Let me join you and we can face the coming darkness together."

"If what he says is true, if it's really coming here…" Walter didn't even manage to finish his thought before shuddering. "Your ruling, your majesty?"

Annabelle worried her lower lip between her teeth as she rested her chin on her hands. Finally, she straightened up out of her seat and descended down the stairs.

"You have killed hundreds and ruined the lives of thousands more during your rule, Logan and I cannot forget that. However, I know that you are not a cruel or spiteful man and that you did what you did to save Albion in your way. Therefore, I rule that you are to spend this time before the attack helping me prepare, after which you will receive a full pardon," she declared before extending a hand towards her brother which he gladly took. "I hope that you won't disappoint me, brother," she said with a small smile.

"I won't, sister," he promised.

The crowd erupted with angry shouts at her words and Ben had to stop himself from shooting Logan then and there. "You can't be serious!" he shouted over the din and went over to where the two siblings were standing. "He deserves to be killed!"

Annabelle fixed him with a cold glare. "My word is final, Captain. He is to be pardoned."

Ben, fuelled by the chanting crowd, refused to back down. "Don't you realise what he's done! He killed Swiftie! He made you choose between Elliot and a group of innocents! He sat by while I was tortured-"

"That's enough, Captain!" she snapped, her eyes blazing with fury as she stood in front of her brother. "I know the full extent of his crimes, but I'll use my own discretion when ruling. Stand down before I have you escorted out! That is a direct order!" she cried before he could object. The hurt she felt was mirrored in her beautiful green eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to accept her decision.

_Well, if she won't listen to words…_

"I'm sorry, Annabelle, but I can't do that," he hissed as he unholstered his pistol and pointed it at Logan's head. The dark-haired man looked mildly amused as he glanced down at the firearm aiming at him. "I'm not about to stand by while-"

His pistol was suddenly knocked out of his hand and he saw the glint of wind and fire in her majesty's hand. "Captain Finn, this is your last warning. Stand down or I will have you arrested for insubordination and threatening the crown," she warned, her eyes flashing even more dangerously than before.

"Yes,** your Majesty**, he spat before giving a mocking salute and taking a step back.

"Walter, please escort Captain Finn out. I will deal with him myself later," she ground out through gritted teeth as she stared him down. Walter grabbed his arm harshly before pulling him out of the room.

"What in the name of all that is sacred is **wrong** with you, boy?" Walter growled as he dragged him to the war room. "Why did you think it was a good idea to do **that** in front of a room of people?"

"She's wrong, Walter! How could she let him live?" Ben shouted in reply, yanking his arm out of Walter's hold. "He doesn't deserve-"

"This isn't our fight, Ben. She's the queen and it is in her hands to rule Albion," Walter said with a note of gentleness in his gruff tone. "It's not our place to question her decisions. This isn't easy for her either. On the one hand Logan is a tyrant that needed to be overthrown, but on the other hand, he is still her brother and a good man."

Ben ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I just don't understand why she had to let him live!"

The sound of the door creaking open interrupted them and Walter's dark eyes flickered to the interruption. "You can ask her yourself. I'm staying out of this," he said before heading to the opposite door.

Ben turned on his heel to look at who had caused Walter to run off. In the doorway stood the princess-no queen, looking more furious than he'd ever seen her. "Close the door," she commanded harshly before slamming the one behind her shut.

"Annabelle-" he started, but she interrupted him with a cold hiss.

"I said close the door! Or are you incapable of following even that order?"

Ben stomped over to the door Walter had left open and slammed it shut. "Happy?" he growled, turning to face her again.

She stalked over to him and before could realise what was happening, her hand hit his cheek with a resounding slap. "How dare you question me in front of **everyone**!" she cried, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides. "What is your problem!"

His cheek stung worse than anything he'd felt before and he wondered absentmindedly if it was because of her fire gauntlets. "I could ask you the same thing! How could you pardon him?" he asked as he rubbed the burning skin.

"How could you point a gun at me?" she countered, crossing her arms. "Do you realise how **stupid **that was?"

"I wasn't pointing it at you! I was pointing it at your arse of a brother!"

"I was standing in front of him, idiot!" She wrung her hands in her hair as she turned away and he felt a twinge of guilt, but he was much too upset to let himself be swayed by it. "You are so damn stubborn sometimes! When are you going to realise that not every is black and white? What if it was one of your brothers standing in front of you, Ben? "

He stared at her in disbelief. _How dare she pull that card?_ "That's completely insane," he argued fiercely.

A dark eyebrow quirked in his direction as she walked towards him, her arms still crossed. "Really? Just imagine if it was Jason or William or Quentin standing in front of you and you had to sentence them to death. What would you have done?"

"My brothers would never stoop so low-"

"Ben, Jason slept with married women. William conned thousands of pieces of gold out of innocent people. Quentin garnered enough gambling debts to get him killed." She ticked each of them off on her fingers. "But once upon a time, you told me that you loved them, even though they were scoundrels and that you knew how hard it was for me to plan to overthrow my brother."

"This is different-"

"Are you only arguing this strongly because he killed Swift?" she argued, staring him down, which admittedly was quite a feat since she was a few centimetres shorter than him.

"It's not just that. He's killed plenty of people that didn't deserve it," he counters, returning her piercing gaze.

"But you only became so adamant after Major Swift was executed." She sank on the window sill and fixed him with a hard stare. "I agree that what he did to Swift was horrible and he's done worse than that to plenty others, but Logan is not an evil man, Ben. He did it for a good reason. Twisted, perhaps, but he truly believed he was saving Albion."

"So you're going to forgive everything he's done because of who he is inside? That's so sweet," he mocked as he returned her gaze. His blood was still boiling in his veins.

She looked at him, her expression unreadable. "And why not? I did it for you," she said simply.

He took a step back at her words. "What?"

Her face remained neutral. "Ben, you've done a lot of horrible things. You've admitted as much," she said quickly when he started to open his mouth to argue. "But you are still a good man and so is my brother. I know him better than anyone else on this earth and I can tell you that he didn't have malicious intentions."

An expression of disbelief covered his features. "Really? You're honestly comparing me to **him**?" he spat, shaking his head. "I'm **nothing** like…like that monster!"

Annabelle slowly got to her feet and smoothed out an invisible wrinkle on her skirt before meeting his gaze again. "Then I'm sorry, Captain. You'd better leave," she said, her eyes cold. "I'll see you later this week to talk about Albion's defences regarding the attack in a year. The men deserve a short vacation."

In his anger, he'd forgotten about Logan's warning. "Then he spoke the truth? It's coming here?" he asked in incredulity.

"Yes. I spoke to the seer myself. The Crawler will reach Albion's shores in exactly one year." She turned to leave but he caught her arm.

"Wait, you can't be serious, Bells-"

"Don't call me that, Captain," she hissed. "I am your queen and you will address me as such. You'd do well to remember that we brought a revolution down on this country so that I could rule and not so that you could question my every decision. Now, you are excused." With this, she wrenched her arm out of his hold and stalked away. He briefly thought about following her, but he was still too upset and angry that he might say something he'd regret more than that which he'd already said. Besides, in her current state she might just kill him.

_Well, the honeymoon didn't last long,_ he thought darkly before leaving through the opposite door.


	29. Chapter 29

_AN: 100 reviews! Oh my gosh! "*Does insane happy dance*" Ahem, anyway…Thank you SO much for everyone that has ever reviewed, subscribed and favourite this story! When I posted the first chapter, I had no idea that it would ever get this response. I'm being completely sincere when I say that I appreciate each and every person that has supported this story so far!_

_And now, let us continue! Please, read and tell me what you think! (And I'm done using exclamation marks.)_

_Chapter 29_

"And then we need to have you fitted for a few new outfits and don't forget that you are posing for a portrait this afternoon, after which…"

Hobson kept droning on, but Annabelle completely blocked his nasally voice out. Her thoughts were filled with bigger problems and listening to the annoying man prattling on about nonsense was pushing her patience to the limit.

"And then-"

"That's enough, Hobson," she interrupted. "I have other appointments that are more pressing than these. Inform me when something urgent comes up. If anyone is looking for me, and I mean someone important, not the royal artist-" she added quickly before Hobson could interrupt. "-I'll be in the royal barracks. Goodbye." With this she pivoted on her heel and headed out of the door.

"Madam, wait!" he called after her, but she just kept on walking towards the barracks.

Though she was still furious with Ben, she was not going to be unprofessional about it.

"Majesty!" The guardsman at the entrance of the soldiers' quarters gave her a sharp salute, a huge grin on his young face. "It's good to see you!"

"Good morning, Guardsman," she replied, returning his smile. _He's so young…how are we going to prepare these men to fight the Darkness?_ she thought grimly. "Where can I find Captain Finn?"

The man seemed to think for a moment. "I last saw him on the sparring grounds, destroying some training mannequins with his rifle," he said.

_Well, someone's still upset…_"Thank you," she nodded curtly before heading inside. Sure enough she found the blond captain firing away at straw dummies On the training field. "Don't you think they've had enough punishment, Captain?" she asked in a dry tone as she approached him.

"Not if they still have stuffing in them," he replied curtly before unleashing another round of bullets on the dummies. He reloaded the rifle while eyeing her warily. "Something I can help you with, Majesty?"

"I told you that we'd be meeting sometime this week. Is this a good time or should I come back later?" She couldn't help the detached note that slipped into her tone and she sighed inwardly. _If both of us could stop being so stubborn, this would be so much easier…_

"Yes, now's fine. Let's head inside," he muttered while slinging the rifle over his shoulder and held an arm out for her to take.

_Well, he's nothing if not a gentleman,_ she thought dryly as she gingerly took his arm.

"I thought you'd give us a few days to get everything in order before inspection," he said after a while of walking in silence.

"This isn't inspection. I just want to make an announcement," she snapped, her eyes fixed forward. "Speaking of which, do we still have an accord regarding you becoming the temporary general?"

"I said I'd do it, didn't I? I'm a man of my word, **Majesty**," he replied tersely.

When they reached the strategy room, she yanked her arm out of Ben's and hastily moved away from him. She had to concentrate on breathing slowly so that she wouldn't lose her calm. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him still scowling.

"Good morning men," she announced loudly. The men immediately turned in her direction and hastily saluted.

"Majesty," they said as one and she nodded in acknowledgement.

"At ease, sirs. You may take your seats." She walked to the center of the room and scanned the men sitting around her. Most of them had served under Major Swift and had fought with her during the revolution. The remaining soldiers had defected to their side after or during the battle of Bowerstone or signed up right after Logan's deposition. She recognized the young lieutenant who she'd convinced to join them amongst the sea of faces and he shot her a huge smile, which she gladly returned.

"Now, men, first things first. Let me introduce the new leader of your brigade, **General** Benjamin Finn," she declared with a motion of her head for Ben to come forward. Ben hesitantly took a step to the front and bowed slightly.

"I'm sorry this is so impromptu…If you want I can still organise a ceremony, but right now I need to get everything underway," she said quietly so that only Ben could hear as she pinned his new rank to his jacket, willing herself not to stab it right through to his skin.

"Don't bother, Majesty. I'm not one for pomp and fanfare," he responded and she turned to face the men once again.

"Next order of business. By now, most of you would have heard about something called "the Darkness", also known as the Crawler." She sat down on the corner of the table and crossed her ankles. "The first thing you need to know is that it is extremely dangerous. In fact, it's more dangerous than anything else you have or will face. If we do not stop it, Albion will be destroyed. Those of you who know me know that I'm not one for dramatics and that I am speaking the truth." The soldiers looked at her in disbelief before looking at each other.

"I know this sounds far-fetched. Believe me, if someone told me that some faceless evil would be landing on Albion shores in a year I wouldn't have believed it either, but I've faced this darkness and it terrified me. I want to protect as many people as I can from experiencing it," she said honestly. "If there are any of you that don't want to do this, feel free to leave. I won't think worse of you or anything, but this is your last chance to turn around."

All of the men wore grave expressions, but not one got to their feet. "Good. Now, I'm leaving you in the capable, if slightly sullied hands of General Finn. He knows what he's doing and I trust him with my life. With regards to the hardships you will be facing in the next year, I'm allowing all of you leave for this week to sort out all of your affairs and visit with your families. I'll be checking in again in a month. Good luck men," she said as she got to her feet. Ben also clambered to his feet and held out his arm again, but she stopped him. "Don't fret, General, I'll see myself out. You have work to do."

"I insist," he said with a raised eyebrow, his arm still extended towards her.

She uttered a sigh before barely placing her hand on his elbow and heading to the door. "What do you think about your brigade? Do you think they'll be ready?"

"I hope so. They have heart and they're talented men, but you've faced it before and you're still terrified and you're a Hero," he admitted with a shrug. "We'll have to see."

Her eyes flickered to his grim expression and she knew he was worried about leading and training the men. "I was being sincere with what I said. You'll be a wonderful general, Ben. You were Major Swift's right-hand man. You must have picked up a few tricks," she said sincerely, attempting to set him at ease. She might be angry, but she wasn't cruel.

"I know, but you're not exactly making my first assignment easy," he replied and ran his free hand through his hair. "Albion was peaceful for how long and the moment I become **something** in the army, we're at the brink of a bloody war!"

"Sorry, but I didn't expect some horrible creature to attack the country during my first year of ruling, either," she countered.

He flashed her a cheerless smirk. "Guess we both got a raw deal, huh?"

"It seems so." They finally reached the exit and she took her hand off his arm. "Good luck, General."

"For you as well, your Majesty," he said with a nod. "Avo only knows you'll need it."

"Avo only knows how much we all need it."

oOoOoOo

"Anna!"

Annabelle looked up from the papers in front of her in surprise at the gruff voice. "Good morning, Walter." Her eyes flickered to his face. "What's wrong?" she asked in concern. His normally jovial expression was clouded with worry.

He exhaled loudly, a thoughtful expression on his weathered face. It was clear that he had bad news. "Has Hobson given you the estimate on what we need to cover our expenses?" he asked finally.

An involuntary sigh slipped past her lips. "No, I kicked him out after the fourth time he tried to convince me to choose a colour scheme for the throne room. What is it?" A hesitant note sounded in her question.

"About four and a half million gold."

She couldn't help but gasp as she looked at Walter in disbelief.. "What? That much?"

"And you still need to keep the promises you made during the revolution," Walter added quickly.

"How...that…It's absurd!" she muttered as she massaged her temples. "What is the worst case scenario? If we don't cover the minimum, I mean."

Walter's expression grew even more grim. "That is the minimum we need to keep everyone alive…and even then it's not guaranteed. If we don't have enough money, most of the citizens will die."

"I…What am I going to do, Walter? How am I going to raise that much money in only one year?" she asked, feeling completely defeated. _Now wonder Logan did what he did…_

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to lie, Anna. I don't know." She looked up at him in surprise and he shot her an encouraging smile. "But I know you and you're the most resourceful person I know. You'll make a plan."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me, Walter," she replied, returning his smile, albeit a bit reluctantly. "But right now, I'm honestly considering running away."

"I'll be with you every step of the way," he assured her. "Now, Kalin told me about a rare diamond in Aurora that might be worth a few hundred thousand and there have been some problems with balverines attacking the nobles in Millfields. Let's start there."

A glance out her window confirmed that it was early afternoon. "Right. I think I'll deal with the balverines first thing tomorrow and then I'll set of for Aurora early the day after that."

oOoOoOo

_The next day_

Ben glanced at the overcast sky for a moment before angrily stalking down the worn path to Millfields. Rain would do little to worsen his already sour mood, but he had no desire to get unnecessarily wet.

Seeing as he had the week off, he decided to take the time to scout out the areas that they would need to defend in the coming attack. _It's not like I have anything better to do, _he thought morosely.

Ben had woken up that morning feeling a rather familiar bout of self-pity. Though he'd experienced it less often since joining the army and meeting Major Swift, there were still days that he couldn't shake the dark memories of his past and his family and he'd either spend the day cursing deities, drinking himself into a stupor, fighting in a bar, or merely lament over the fact that fate hated him enough to take everything he'd ever held dear to him.

Add his enormous fight with Annabelle and one could see why he was so upset.

_Would it be so hard for her to concede that I was right and that I'm perfectly justified in wanting Logan dead? _He felt slightly selfish for thinking those thoughts, but some part of him couldn't allow himself to admit that she might be right. It outraged him that she even dared to compare himself to her brother.

"Damnation!" he cried again, wringing his hands in his hair. If something vicious didn't come across his way soon, he might just lose the thin hold he had on his code of morality and kill someone unarmed and innocent.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a loud, feminine cry of pain in the distance. "Finally," he muttered as he ran in the direction of the sound. He followed the din of clashing swords and smell of gunpowder into a large clearing in the dark forest.

When he saw who was fighting a rather large horde of balverines, he couldn't help the exasperated sigh that slipped past his lips. "For Avo's sake! I can't leave her alone for one day without her getting into trouble," he grumbled before rushing in, his rifle already drawn. There was about eight balverines already lying defeated in the ground, but the six that remained seemed particularly vicious.

At the sound of him cocking his rifle, a couple of the beasts turned their snarling maws in his direction and he took the opportunity to shoot the closest one through the eye. Annabelle spun around to look at him, her eyes practically blazing with the same fury that was burning in the balverines' yellow orbs. Her blouse was ripped and splattered with blood and he could see that she was favouring her left leg.

"What the HELL are you doing here?" she spat as she whirled around to slash at the white balverine behind her.

"As it seems, saving your life, Princess," he retorted, firing again.

"Get out of here, Finn! You're getting in the way and you're only going to get hurt!"

Ignoring her, he managed to dive down in time to avoid one of the wolf-like creatures that pounced in his direction and shot it from his position on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Annabelle decapitated another one of them and simultaneously killed another with her will. Ben started to close the distance between them when a flash appeared behind her. Before he could call out a warning, the white balverine lunged towards her again.

The same scream that he heard before tore through the air and he watched in horror as she fell to her knees, bloodied lines appearing on her back.

"Annabelle!" he cried as he rushed towards her. The white beast move to pounce again and Ben squeezed the trigger of his rifle, but the hollow sound of a jammed barrel forced every shred of hope out of his body.

Luckily, being the Hero that she was, she flipped over onto her back and managed to bring her sword up in time to impale the diving balverine. The creature howled in pain before going limp on top of her.

Ben tossed the useless rifle out of the way and hurriedly unsheathed his cutlass. Though there were plenty of people that were better than him with blades, he was good enough to take down the single balverine that remained standing. Sure enough, the balverine fell dead as well a few moments later.

Annabelle still hadn't gotten up from under the hulking mass of fur and he rushed to her side. _Oh, Avo…If I lose her too…_With growing dread, he managed to wrestle the dead balverine off her and saw that her eyes were dulled and her breathing was shallow. "Annabelle," he breathed, cradling her in his lap. "Bells…"

Her eyes seemed to focus on his face. "You idiot…You…you could have…gotten hurt," she hissed, struggling to sit upright. "And you could…have killed…me!

"You're one to talk, sweetheart," he breathed in relief. "Who's the one with their back ripped open?"

She gingerly reached behind her back and winced visibly. "Well, thankfully they're closed now."

When it was clear that she wasn't in any mortal danger, he felt his anger with her returning. "What were you thinking? You-"

Rolling her eyes, she pushed herself away from him and started to get to her feet, only to fall down again. He moved to help her, but she held up a hand. "Don't even think about patronising me, Ben. I'm a Hero for goodness sake."

"You almost died, Princess! Or are you suffering from some misguided belief that you are invincible?"

"At least I'm not suffering from some misguided belief that the entire female population needs to be constantly rescued," she countered. "I would have been fine if you hadn't shown up."

"It sure looked like it," he said sarcastically. "I could see that you were in complete control of the situation."

Her eyes blazing, she yanked a purple summoning bottle out of her pocket. "I had this, but I couldn't use it out of the fear that they might attack you as well," she sneered. "So don't you dare act snide."

He opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn't dispute that she was right. It was his fault that their new ruler had a few new additions to the scars that already riddled her body. He mentally kicked himself for being so stubborn. She clearly told him to stay away and he didn't listen.

"Just go. I don't have the strength to deal with you right now," she whispered, getting to her feet. "Though my wounds heal faster, they still burn as though doused with fire."

He couldn't help but notice that they were practically right back where they started in Mourningwood, except this time she was right to blame him. Even so, his twisted pride prevented him from apologizing or leaving for that matter.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" he asked as he retrieved his discarded rifle.

If looks could kill, Ben would have been little more than a pile of smouldering ashes. "Frankly that's none of your concern, Captain." She winced visibly when she put weight on her left leg. "What I decide to do in my capacity as a Hero doesn't need to carry your approval."

"It's General. If you're going to insist on distancing yourself from me by using my title, use the correct one, please," he snapped in reply. _Admittedly childish, but who cares?_

Her green eyes rolled again. "Now if you'll excuse me, **General** Finn, I have much better things to than to sit around listening to you jabber on. I'm sure there is some noblewoman struggling to get her cat down from a tree. Go and rescue that "damsel in distress", because I'm not going to wait around for you to get me killed again." The words were positively dripping with venom and it took everything he had to bite back the retort on the tip of his tongue. As angry as he might be, he'd almost lost her again, this time due to his own stupidity and that realisation was enough to let him back down for a while.

"Fine," he settled for saying.

"Good." He opened his mouth to say something more, but before he could blink, she'd already teleported away.

"She always has to get the last word in," he grumbled as he headed in a different direction.

Maybe Mourningwood would prove less hostile.

oOoOoOo

It did. Aside from the occasional Hobbe, the road to the fort was quiet and he couldn't decide if that annoyed or pleased him. On the one hand he was tired of fighting, but on the other hand, he really wanted to shoot something's head off.

He reached the fort by early afternoon and after managing to clamber over the stone wall, he gladly sank down onto one of crates to eat his lunch. As he munched on a stale piece of bread and cheese, he glanced around the fort. It hadn't changed much in the few months since they left the fort. Aside from the increase of moss, cobwebs and a wide variety of insects, it was still exactly the same.

A smirk spread over his lips as a barrage of memories hit him. The crate he was currently seated on was the very crate he had sat on when he had written his autobiography. Across the fort was the remains of the fire they'd used to cook and were they'd spent the evenings playing cards and telling stories.

His eyes moved to the top battlement where the mortar still stood. Out of everyone that they lost to the hollow men in the fort, he missed Jammy the most. _He was a good man and a good friend_.

As his gaze passed the place where Jammy used to load the mortar, something bright caught his eye. In surprise, he squinted hard to determine what he saw and his eyes widened in realisation. "Is that…it can't be," he muttered, a giant smile on his face.

Taking the steps two at a time, he reached the mortar and looked into the face, albeit ghostly one, of his old friend. "Jammy? You came back!"

"Captain Ben! Captain Benjamin Finn!" Jammy's ghost sniffed loudly before breaking into a huge smile. "I thought you were dead!"

Ben couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. "I thought the same about you, Jammy! What are you doing here?"

Jammy gave an awkward shrug and motioned for him to sit down on the crate next to him. "I figured if I could kill a few more hollow men since all of you left. Congratulations on succeeding with the Revolution!"

"Thank you, Jammy. I'm sorry you had to miss it," Ben said with true regret.

"It alright." A strange smile spread over his face. "Speaking of which…How is the dear Princess?"

Ben felt another flare of anger ignite at the mention of her Majesty. "She's fine. She's queen now in fact," Ben replied. "Already delivered her first royal decree and everything." He couldn't help the biting tone that slipped into his voice.

A knowing grin split over Jammy's face. "That wasn't what I was talking about, Captain."

"Oh." It took Ben another moment to realise what he was referring to. "OH! How…how do you know about that?"

"One of the ghost that haunts the castle came through here the other day. Apparently you weren't exaggerating when you bragged about your…prowess," Jammy said with slyness that Ben hadn't known he possessed. "Good job, Captain!"

"He **heard** us. Are you telling me that a ghost overheard me and Annabelle…?" The corner of his mouth quirked into a lopsided smile at the thought. "That's quite funny actually," he admitted. "At least we gave him a good performance."

"More than good if I can believe Mr Smith." Jammy's smile grew even broader. "But I'm glad for the two of you. She's a great girl and you deserve some happiness as well, Captain. I knew you were going to hit it off the moment she flushed when you touched her."

"Well…things aren't going so well right now. We had a huge fight a few days ago. That's partly why I'm out here," Ben admitted, motioning to fort.

"What you fight about?"

"She let Logan live after all he's done and I didn't agree with her. I made her very aware of that fact." He quickly filled Jammy in on what had happened in the clearing as well. "But she's wrong, isn't she?"

Jammy shrugged again. "I'm not going to get involved, but it sounds as if you overreacted, Captain. Logan is her brother after all."

"He killed Swift, Jammy! And it's his fault **you're** dead, Jammy. He's the one that stationed you here," Ben argued.

"I could have just as easily been killed on my way to the store in Industrial with my luck," Jammy chuckled. "I don't blame Logan. Besides, Swift knew what he was getting into. It's horrible, but there's nothing you can do to bring him back, including killing Logan."

Jammy took a deep breath before continuing. "I think that you need to apologize for yelling at her. Like I said, Captain, she's a great girl. Beautiful, smart, deadly and if your stories are anything to go by, that's the type of woman you go for. However, she isn't going to forgive you every time you screw up and mouth off to her and a girl like that is not going to have a hard time finding someone to fill your shoes."

"You can't be serious, Jammy. She loves me," Ben countered.

"I know she loves you, but if you don't give her a reason to keep you around, she's not going to. She has enough to deal with to be bothered with a difficult relationship. Besides, if you end up almost killing her…"

He started to argue, but then he saw the wisdom of Jammy's words. "I…You're right. I need to apologise to her. He's her brother and she knows him better than anyone. I might not like him, but she loves him and I love her. Besides, I feel like a total arse for letting her get hurt," he said more to himself than to Jammy. The blond captain practically sprang to his feet. "I'm heading back now."

Jammy, however, pointed out that she likely wasn't in the castle or anywhere else where he could find her. "And, Ben, you're forgetting about the hollow men. So, why don't we use the mortar to take out a few of these bastards," Jammy said in a sadistic tone of voice.

Ben couldn't bear to disagree.


	30. Chapter 30

_AN: Thank you very much for all the reviews, favourites and story alerts! I really appreciate each and every one of them._

_Chapter 30_

"Come on, you overgrown Hobbe, I am not "anyone", I'm the queen's bloody general! If you prevent me from seeing her, you might be solely responsible for the destruction of the entire bloody country!" Ben stared down the tall, strangely-built man as he ground his teeth in frustration.

"I'm sorry, General, but her Majesty ordered me explicitly not to let anyone in," Hobson said again, a bored expression on his face.

"Listen, you pompous-" The string of insults on the tip of his tongue was interrupted by the appearance of someone else behind the annoying aide.

"Ben, what's going on? I can hear you all the way from the war room," Walter asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Ben exhaled loudly. "This…**man**…refuses to let me in to see Annabelle. It's important."

A confused frown appeared on Walter's weathered face. "Annabelle isn't here. She left for Aurora early this morning." Suddenly, he turned his stern gaze to Hobson. "You didn't tell him?"

"I didn't see the need. There is no reason for him to know the queen's whereabouts," Hobson said in a haughty tone, complete with a shrug. "Besides, she also told me not to let Captain-"

"General," Ben interrupted curtly.

A thin, sarcastic smile appeared in his face. "My apologies. She ordered me not to let **General** Finn enter the castle."

"Thank you, Hobson, you're excused." Hobson thankfully left without another word and Walter turned back to Ben. "What did you do this time?" Walter asked, sighing loudly. "Or is it still the Logan argument?"

"Yes, it's still that, but I need to talk to her about something else. When will she be back?"

"I have no idea. Should I tell her you stopped by?"

Ben ran a hand through his hair. "Please, don't. I'll come back later."

The expression on Walter's face was one of pure suspicion. "Ben, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Ben said stiffly, avoiding Walter's gaze.

Walter's eyebrow lifted even higher. "If it's "nothing", you can discuss it with me."

"It's not urgent, Wally. I need to go," Ben said suddenly, before turning on his heel and hurrying out of there as quickly as he could. He hid a smile as he headed back to the barracks. He knew that there was no way that Walter wasn't going to tell Annabelle that he stopped by. _Right, step one, complete…Now, how am I going to get her to forgive me?_

oOoOoOo

When Annabelle finally got back to the castle, she was sweaty, filthy and exhausted. She barely managed to toss her weapons on the ground before falling facedown onto the bed. When there was a loud rap on the door, she couldn't even get herself to sit upright.

"Come in!" she called wearily.

Through heavy-lidded eyes she could see Walter standing in the doorframe. "Hello, Anna. When did you get back?"

"Hello, Walter." Annabelle struggled into an upright position. "Just now. Did anyone come looking for me today?"

Walter looked torn between telling her and staying quiet, which alarmed her immensely. "Walter…? What's wrong?"

He exhaled loudly. "Fine…Ben stopped by. He was pretty insistent on seeing you," he said quickly. "But he asked me not to tell you."

Annabelle dropped her head onto the bed with a thud, muttering something unintelligible. She took a deep breath before looking up at Walter again. "What did he want?"

"He kept saying that it was "nothing". Pretty suspicious if you ask me." The old man set down on her desk chair. "And then he ran off."

"Alright, ignoring Ben, was anyone else here?"

"Reaver stopped by. Hobson had a rather intense conversation with him, but he left before I could ask what it was about. He did leave this note however." Walter handed her a very elaborate, clearly expensive letter.

A loud groan tumbled over her lips as she opened the envelope. "Knowing Hobson, he made some promise or another that I'm going to need to keep." Her eyes flickered to the expensive stationary in her hands.

_To my most delicious queen,_

_After confederating with your oaf of an aide and learning that the treasury is in such a dreary state, I have decided that __**I'll**__ be hosting your Majesty's birthday party one week from now as a show of goodwill towards the crown. This way, you can continue to help all those helpless causes of yours before the Darkness or whatever it's called descends on Albion to destroy us all. How dreadful. _

_I'll drop by tomorrow to discuss all the trivialities, such as which outfit you are to wear. _

_Until then, tatty bye!_

"He didn't even bother to sign the damned thing and if he thinks that he's going to throw me a **birthday party**, he's sorely mistaken," she grumbled as she crushed the note in her fist.

"Is that what it's about?" Walter looked about as surprised as she felt. "I think you should talk to Hobson tomorrow to find out what is going on. And I really think that you need to speak with Ben. I'm tired of your constant arguing. Besides, I know how distracted he can get and you can't afford a distracted general right now."

"I'm not going to argue about that," she muttered. Slowly, she got to her feet. "I'm going to take a long bath and then I'm going to bed."

"You're not going to talk to him?"

Annabelle couldn't help but look at Walter in confusion. _Now he __**wants**__ me to make peace with Ben? Is something going on that I don't know about?_

"If I talk to him right now, I won't be responsible for my actions. I'll go tomorrow." She rummaged through her closet for a set of clean towels. "If you'll excuse me…"

"Good night, Anna. I'll see you tomorrow," Walter said sincerely before leaving.

Someone fortunately had the foresight to ask the maids to draw her a bath, which she was immensely grateful for. She tossed her soiled clothes on the ground and sank into the bath, sighing in pleasure at the soothing feeling the water offered.

"Oh…that feels so good," she moaned as she wet her hair before lathering the floral shampoo into her dark curls. She took her time scrubbing away all the dirt and sand that had managed to creep in everywhere. When she was finally done, she wrapped herself in one of the fluffy white towels.

Feeling invigorated from her bath, she started humming the lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was little as she dried her hair with another towel.

"Nice song," a voice said from behind and she stifled a scream as she whirled to face the intruder. "Where did you learn it?"

She narrowed her eyes at the silhouette as she tightened the hold on the towel still wrapped around her. _That arse! He was spying on me!_ "If you must know, my mother. I'm going to give the chance to leave before I call for the guards, Finn."

"Really? We're back on "Finn"?" She could see his teeth glinting in the setting sunlight.

"I'm warning you, Finn, it's completely inappropriate for you to be here with your queen in a state of undress," she grit out. "Get. Out."

Ben chuckled as he took a step closer. "Calm down. It isn't like I haven't seen her majesty naked before. Dazzling sight, I have to admit," he said slyly.

"Get out of here, Finn." She turned her back on him and she heard him inhale loudly before closing the distance between them.

"Avo, Bells…I'm sorry," he whispered as he gently stroked the roped scars on her back. She shuddered involuntarily at his touch, but refused to turn around. "This was entirely my fault."

"Yes, it was. Now please, leave. I'm exhausted," she said, jerking away from him. "It's bad enough that you probably spied on me while I was bathing."

His hands flew up in a placating gesture. "I promise that I didn't watch," he insisted. "Much," he added so quietly that she barely heard him.

"I'm warning you one more time, Finn. Get out of her, or I will call the guards! If you really want to talk, come back tomorrow."

Ben, however, proved once again that he was a particularly tenacious man. "We need to talk now-"

"No, we don't. There's nothing to talk about right at this moment."

An exasperate sigh sounded in the dusky room. "I'll make you a deal. I'll leave, but then you need to promise that you'll come to my house tonight."

She cocked an eyebrow in question. "Why would I agree to that?"

A smirk split over his face. "Because if you don't, I'll tell Walter that we slept together."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Nice bluff, Ben, but I know you wouldn't do that. You value your genitals too much," she snapped.

"That may be true, but I value our relationship much more. Though, it would be an admittedly uneventful relationship without-"

The dull ache of a headache started at the back of her head and she uttered an exasperate sigh of her own. "Fine. Just get out of here," she said curtly.

"I'll see you later then." He kissed her lightly on the lips and before she could object, he'd already left through the window.

"I'm getting bars for that window," she muttered fiercely as she trudged to her closet. She changed into a comfortable blouse and her highwayman pants and boots, as well as a cloak to try and protect her against the rain that had started falling before jumping out of the window.

She knew Ben's house was somewhere in Industrial, so she headed down there. Lucky for her, she found it easily enough.

The rain had morphed from a drizzle into a torrent in the time it took her to make it to Industrial and she made a dash from the alcove she was standing under and hammered on his door in earnest.

"Who is it?" he called from inside.

"Damnation, Ben, you know who it is! Just open up!" she cried, pounding on the door. Finally he opened the door and she flung herself into his living room. "When I left it was just a drizzle," she explained as she wrung out her hair.

She glanced around the room and she had to hide a smile. It was a small, one-story house, but it looked comfortable. The walls were decorated with the wanted posters from the revolution and scraps of papers covered with scribbles littered every possible surface. A neatly made-up double bed stood in the corner of the room, but it was almost completely covered with uniforms and a wide assortment of other random objects. A delicious smell was wafting out of what she assumed to be the adjacent kitchen.

Ben looked surprised to see her, but he quickly disguised it with a grin. "Hey, sweetheart. What are you doing here?"

"You blackmailed me into coming here, remember?" She crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed him suspiciously. "You wanted to talk?"

She studied his casual attire warily in an attempt to find out what he was planning. With Ben, she could never be sure. He was wearing a white linen shirt that was rolled up to his elbows and a pair of loose brown trousers with socks, no shoes. What confused her most were the splashes of red that covered the white material of his shirt.

"Are you…bleeding?" Any angry feelings that she might have harboured against him momentarily flew out the window at the prospect of him being hurt and she hurriedly ran her fingers over his chest to look for injuries. "By the Light, Ben, you need to be-"

He placed his calloused hands over hers, stilling them on his chest. When her eyes met his, she saw that they were filled with amusement and she felt her heart skip a beat at the feeling of his hand caressing hers. "I'm fine," he insisted, smirking at her. "Let's talk in the kitchen."

She followed him silently into the adjacent kitchen, though cursing herself for allowing him to distract her so easily. When she saw what was waiting in the other room, however, she couldn't help but gasp.

The room was faintly lit by candlelight and the small table in the centre of the room was set with silverware and china. A vase of flowers finished off the effect.

"Sweetheart, pick that lovely jaw of yours up off of the ground and sit down," Ben laughed as he pulled out a chair for her. "It's not that implausible, you know."

She was very sure that she resembled a fish out of water with her mouth gaping open and close as she sat down. "Ben, I didn't even know that you **owned** silverware or china," she said finally.

"Of course I do. No bachelor pad is complete without sufficient dining ware," he chuckled as he stirred at something on the stove.

"Which brings me to the next question…Why?" she asked, eyed him suspiciously.

Taking a deep lungful of air, Ben sat down on the chair in front of her. "Because I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything," he said, taking her hand in his. "I was an idiot. You know your brother better than anyone and I should have trusted you. It was completely out of line for me to argue with you in front of everyone. And, above everything else, I feel like an arse for hurting you…Please say that you forgive me."

She yanked her hand out from under his. Despite the touching display, she couldn't forgive him quite yet. "It's not that easy, Ben."

Strangely enough, he looked unperturbed by her rebuttal and actually broke into a smile. "Well, to be honest, I didn't even think that you'd show up, so you not making this easy isn't **that** surprising."

An involuntary surge of anger flashed down her spine. "You think this is "not making it easy"? Not making this easy would have been if I'd let Walter castrate you before coming over," she snapped.

Ice blue eyes rolled playfully in amusement. "As if you could do that to me. You're not masochistic enough to deprive yourself of certain pleasures…" he trailed off with a sly wink.

"You have **no** idea what I'm capable of," she retorted, but she bit back a smile at his words. "And if you don't believe me, I'll go call him right now."

Though they were already almost sitting knee-to-knee, he leaned in so close that she could see every one of his features clearly in the dim candlelight. "Go ahead, sweetheart. I dare you," he whispered huskily, smirking. "Just a fair warning…If you try to leave, I'm going to have to stop you."

"Challenge accepted," she replied equally quiet, a small smile on her face.

"Good." He sprang to his feet and yanked her up out of her own chair. Before she could argue, he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his lips two millimetres from hers. "You asked for this."

She glanced up him through her eyelashes. "Really? And what are you going to do to stop me? If I wanted to, I could kill you where you stand-"

He cut her off by pressing a searing kiss to her lips, wrapping his arms tighter around her. She couldn't help but melt at the feeling of his tongue sweeping into her mouth and an involuntary moan sounded in her throat. When he finally pulled away, he still refused to relinquish his iron hold on her waist. "Do you surrender?" he asked, smirking widely.

"I forgive you," she whispered, smiling in return. "As long as you promise not to attempt to kill me again."

The smirk faltered for a moment and his eyes flooded with disbelief before his lips split even wider than before. His expressive eyes were filled with unguarded joy that contradicted the roguish expression on his face. "Too bad…I'd hoped that I would have to employ more drastic measures."

"Oh? Then let's pretend that I didn't give in," she replied coyly.

"I can live with that," he murmured before kissing her again.

oOoOoOo

"You planned the entire thing, didn't you?" Annabelle voice asked as she lied tangled in Ben's arms, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. He glanced at the woman lying next to him and couldn't help but break into a stupidly pleased smile at the way that she fit perfectly against him. _Who would have thought that Ben Finn would ever do so much to apologize to a woman for making a mistake…Or stay in bed with one for longer than strictly necessary for that matter,_ he thought wryly.

He chuckled lightly as he languidly stroked her back, relishing in the feeling of her shuddering at his touch. "I'm not going to admit to anything, just in case this will be used against me at my trial."

She pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him, her green eyes flooded with amusement. "What trial?"

"The one where I get sentenced for seducing the queen of Albion," he replied simply, winking at her. "I think Wally is going to act as judge and executioner at that one." _Well, more executioner than anything else,_ he thought grimly.

"Are you honestly that scared of him, or are you just acting?" she laughed.

"I'm honestly that scared of him," he said sincerely. "And though I love you, I'm not too eager to tell **him** that."

A dark eyebrow quirked in his direction and he could see her biting her cheek to keep from smiling. "Oh, really? Well, what if he starts pressurising me to meet suitors? Will you speak up then? Or will you allow some stranger to whisk me away?" she asked in a sultry tone as she toyed with his hair.

He pretended to think about it for longer than necessary, which earned him a smack to the arm. "If anyone so much as tried to take you away from me, they'd meet a very swift and very painful end," he said sincerely. He carefully rolled onto his side to meet her gaze. "Your hand being the more likely to smite than mine, I'd wager."

His jest earned him another bruise and he laughed as he cupped her cheek. "I'm jesting, fair maiden. It's just that the last time I called you "my princess", I was met with a rather dirty look and an equally painful punch."

"Well, sir, I'd like to think that we've moved to the point where I'm proud to be called yours," she whispered, smiling shyly. "And I'm proud to call you mine."

"So…I take it that you want to tell your rather intimidating father-figure that I defiled his adopted daughter…That's always something to look forward to," he muttered.

She placed her hand over his and leaned into the caress. "Don't tell me that you like this skulking around…"

"It's not that I like it, it's just that I like my body parts attached to my body," he shrugged. "But if that is what you want to do, I'll agree to it."

A strange smile played over her lips. "Well, we don't have to tell him right now…" She kissed him slowly as she threaded her fingers through his hair. "I think you can do some more "defiling", as you call it, before then."

"Mmmm, I'd like that," he mumbled against her lips. He removed his mouth from hers to kiss her neck, but she pulled away before he could find his mark. An indignant hum sounded in his throat and she placed a finger on his protesting lips, a smile on her own.

"But before we get to that, I'm wagering that you've forgotten that you cooked dinner and said dinner is probably already frozen."

"Later," he growled and moved to pull her closer. However, she was much faster than him and managed to roll off the bed and pick up his discarded shirt before he could catch her.

"I'm hungry." For food," she added quickly when he started to form a reply. She pulled the shirt over his head and he sighed in disappointment again. The oversized shirt reached her mid-thigh and covered far too much of her skin for his taste.

_Well, at least I won't be __**overly**__ distracted,_ he thought as he pulled on a pair of pants. "I doubt anything will still be edible, but let's see," he said as he headed to the kitchen. "At least I thought to turn the stove off."

Annabelle plopped down on one of the chairs and looked at him expectantly. He couldn't help but notice that in the slightly frayed shirt, with her hair in disarray and a radiant smile on her face, she looked nothing like the queen of Albion. _Well, thank Avo for that_, he thought.

"Well, this is what I managed to salvage," he said after a while as he placed a plate in front of her. "I'm not a very good cook when I get distracted."

She cocked her head to the side and looked at him in disbelief. "Oh, so this is my fault?" she asked, still smiling.

"I'm not complaining." He took an experimental bite of the charred food and was surprised to find that it was still quite edible.

Ben saw her do the same and was pleased to see her actually swallow without difficulty. "It's not horrible," she clarified as she took another bite. "But it's definitely not something that I'd make for myself."

"Haha, laugh it up. I know you eat much better at the castle, but here where the peasants live, it's fine."

She eyed him for a moment, a slight frown on her beautiful face.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Could you perhaps put on a shirt? It's slightly distracting."

He couldn't help but grin. "**I'm **distracting? I could take my shirt off of you, if that's what you're asking, but that might be distracting for me."

She blushed bright red and looked down at her plate. "Fine, leave it then."

"So…have you killed that prick Hobson yet?" Ben asked through a mouthful of charred meat.

"Though I do deem that your assessment is accurate, I prefer the term "irritating arse", personally," she replied. "And no, I haven't, though I came extremely close a few days ago. Firstly, he refused to let Walter see me and then he lectured me about the sorry state of the treasury, which I am intimately aware of, thank you very much. Then he tried to convince me to side with Reaver over Page about what happens to the orphanage. My aide actually suggested that we turn the orphanage into a brothel! Oh and he started to plan a birthday party for me, which is to be hosted by **Reaver** of all people."

Ben could feel the old searing anger coiling inside of him. "Reaver wants to host a party for you? After what he's done?" he practically growled.

"It's not going to happen, Ben. I'm dead-set against it myself," she said gently and at her pleading gaze, he reluctantly dropped the subject.

"If I were you, I'd fire Hobson tomorrow," he suggested darkly. There was absolutely nothing that he liked about the man.

"I can't. Jasper is still busy in the sanctuary and no one is actually standing in a queue to be the aide to the inexperienced queen. Besides, he might be irritating, but he does his job reasonably well." She looked at him in mild surprise. "How do you know about him? As far as I remember, you never met."

"We met this morning. I wanted to see you about something, but he didn't deem me important enough to be allowed access. I contemplated taking the window route, but Walter finally told me that you'd gone to Aurora. Besides, if you were there, you'd probably have shot me." He thought for a moment. "Or should I say attempted to shoot me."

"Shut up, Ben. We all that know I can't shoot, but the barbs are getting old," she huffed as she looked down at her plate again.

"Oh, come on, Bells, there are so few things that you **can't** do," he groaned. "Can't you give me this one thing to tease you about?"

"Fine. But only once a week," she bargained.

He thought for a moment before conceding to her demands. "Very well, I can live with that."

"But enough shop talk. Just for tonight, I don't want to think or talk about anything regarding saving Albion or Reaver or Heroes or anything like that," she said and he gave a nod in reply.

They spent the rest of their dinner talking about nonsense. Ben told her about seeing Jammy again and she was overjoyed that he'd come back as a ghost and mentioned that she would go visit him as soon as she got the chance. Annabelle, in return told him about some of the gossip she'd overheard from her chambermaids.

"They're convinced that I brought back a lover from Aurora and that he's the one that they saw flitting around the castle grounds these past few days," she chuckled. "I have no idea where they came up with the idea that you're from Aurora. Just a suggestion, I'd be more careful if I were you."

His brow furrowed in thought. "Funny thing, that. I haven't been near the castle for the past few days, so they are definitely seeing someone else," he replied slowly. "The question is, who are they seeing?"

"I'm sure it's nothing," she said flippantly, but he couldn't help but worry about her safety. He'd almost lost her more times that he was comfortable with.

"To be sure, maybe I should move to the castle barracks, just to make sure you're unharmed," he suggested, but she merely shook her head.

"I'll be fine, Ben. Don't worry," she said soothingly, placing her hand over his. "I know how to take care of myself."

"I know. I'm worried about the other bloke," he joked half-heartedly, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

That track of thought was brought to a screeching halt when she smiled brightly and got to her feet, after which she promply pulled him up from his. Every possible worried thought he might have had disappeared when she wrapped her arms around his neck and trailed her lips over his jaw, her hands running over his chest.

"Now…what do you say about dessert?"

oOoOoOo

_Sorry for the fluff overdose again. Anyway, for those of you that are wondering, things are definitely not going to be perfect from now on. They still have an ancient evil to defeat after all! _


	31. Chapter 31

_AN: I'm really sorry for the slightly longer wait between chapters. End of the year obligations and all those other real life stuff got in the way of writing, as well as new games like Skyrim and Skyward Sword, but thankfully everything should be sorted out by next week (hopefully). Speaking of which, I'll try to get the next chapter up by the weekend as usual, but I can't promise anything._

_Thank you so much for all of the reviews, story alerts and favourites! Please, read and review ;)_

_Chapter 31_

"_Wake up, little queen…"_

Annabelle turned over in irritation at the voice, pulling the covers higher over her head. "Go away," she muttered into the pillow.

"_Selfish little queen…Sleeping with your lover while others will die…"_ the voice hissed and dark tendrils curled around her thoughts, obstructing any glimpse of light.

She sat up with a start and opened her eyes. To her shock, she wasn't in Ben's bed anymore, but rather in a very familiar never ending expanse of desert.

Her eyes darted around in fright. "What…what is going on?" she whispered. A sudden cold gust enveloped her and she pulled the lapels of her jacket tighter around her before she looked down in shock. "When did I change into my traveling clothes…?"

Suddenly she sensed someone creeping up on her and she whirled around, her fingers tensing around the hilt of her sword. When she saw that no one was there, she relaxed slightly before she felt the same presence at her back again. Once again, no one was there.

"Come out! Stop being such a coward!" she cried. As soon as the words left her mouth, something grabbed her shoulder from behind. "Release me at once!"

"Stop fighting, Anna…I'm only trying to help…" Walter's voice said soothingly and she relaxed involuntarily.

"Oh, it's you, Walter," she sighed in relief before turning to look at him. "I was-" She stifled a scream and took a few involuntary steps backward as she saw pure darkness in the place of his eyes. Rivulets of black ink dripped his eyes and ran over his cheeks, causing his entire face to appear malformed and sinister.

"What's the matter, Anna?" shadow-Walter hissed, coming closer. "You're hurting my feelings…"

"Get away from me!" she shrieked before running in the opposite direction. Once again, the darkness filled the sky and it enveloped her entirely.

She felt a familiar fear gripping every one of her nerves and she struggled to breathe. "No…no, no, no! Not again!" she yelled, pushing herself forward. The darkness grew even denser than before. This time, however, the darkness was interwoven with tendrils of deep pools that writhed and pulsed with movement. She watched in horror as a horde of children rose from the pools, their forms made even more sinister by the lack of light.

She unsheathed her sword and tried to calm her beating heart enough to concentrate. When she was about to strike them down, however, the children were replaced by Ben's figure. "Hi, Bells," he said softly, smiling gently at her. "Don't be scared."

Her breath was knocked from her lungs at the reality of the vision. "You're not real," she whispered. She closed her eyes and shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts. "You're not real. You're not Ben!"

"You're right…" The fake Ben melted back into the shadows and she allowed herself to breathe. The shadows decreased slightly and she could make out the familiar buildings of Industrial, but they were all enveloped in flames and the same pools covered the ground. Corpses covered the cobbled stones and many more injured screamed for help as they clawed at her ankles, trying to drag her down.

"What…What is this…?"

"_This is the inevitable fate of your country, little queen…You cannot stop the Darkness…It will envelop you entirely!"_

"I'll stop you!" she insisted, but her voice sounded scared even to her own ears. "You won't succeed!"

She heard someone softly calling her name. "Bells…Is that you…?" Ben's voice called, clearly in pain. "Help me…"

"Ben?" She whirled around and saw the blond soldier lying on the ground in a pool of blood, his eyes hazy. "Ben!" She rushed to his side and knelt down next to him. A quick scan of his torso revealed several deep wounds.

His mouth opened and closed as if he was trying to say something. A small trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth and his eyelids started to close.

"No, Ben! Don't you dare die!" She pressed her hands onto the open wounds to staunch the flood of blood, but it didn't slow down in the slightest. She looked down in horror at the blood that continued seeping through her fingers.

Even though some conscious part of her mind was reminding her that it wasn't reality, she couldn't stop the feeling of terror at seeing Ben dying in her arms. "Why did you…leave? Why…didn't you…help me?" he gasped, his hand grasping hers weakly.

Unintentional tears slipped from her eyes and she hurriedly scrubbed them away. "I didn't leave you, Ben…I'd never leave you," she insisted as she cupped his blood-drained face with one hand with the other still furiously trying to stop him from bleeding out.

His pale lips parted again, but before he could say something more, his eyes finally fluttered close. "Ben…" she whispered, her fingers urgently searching for any sign that he was still alive. "You can't be dead! Please, don't be dead," she cried, the tears flowing from her eyes yet again. "No!"

"_Do you see what will happen? You cannot stop it!"_ the Crawler mocked as the darkness closed in around her again.

Images of soldiers fighting the Crawler's minions and failing flooded her mind. This was followed by images of the minions killing civilians and the city of Bowerstone being enveloped by flames, smoke and darkness. Hallucinations of Ben, Walter and Logan dying repeated over and over and she clutched her head, willing the nightmares away.

"Please…Please leave me alone…" she whispered. "Please!"

oOoOoOo

"Please…Please leave me alone…Please!"

Ben stirred awake, his thoughts still clouded with sleep. Confused, he turned over to look at the woman tossing and whimpering in her sleep next to him. "Bells…Bells, wake up," he whispered, gently shaking he shoulder.

"They can't be dead…Please don't let them die," she muttered, pulling away from him.

"Annabelle, it's me. Ben. Come on, sweetheart, wake up," he said again, feeling slightly frightened by her lack of reaction. He shook her a tad more insistently.

Suddenly she jerked awake, her green eyes wild with fear. He started to pull her into an embrace, but she shoved him away. "Don't touch me!" she screamed, clutching her head in her hands.

"Annabelle? What's wrong?" He moved to her hold her again, but she rolled herself into a ball and started crying softly. She was shaking like a leaf as she pulled her knees up to her chest. He'd never seen her so vulnerable before and if scared him senseless.

There was only one thing that could have her so absolutely terrified. His thoughts darted to his own nightmare experience with the Crawler and he'd bet everything that he owned that that was why she was so scared.

"Love, did you have a nightmare?" he asked gently and sat upright. "Bells?"

At his question, the tears increase two-fold. She'd never cried so much in front of him ever before. Once again, he tried to wrap his arms around her and this time he finally succeeded. He sat there silently stroking her hair and rocking her gently for who know how long before she finally stilled.

"What did you see?" he asked finally, her head still cradled under his chin.

"Death…death and destruction," she said so quietly that he barely heard her. "And there was no way for me to stop it."

"You will stop it," he insisted gently. "If there is anyone who can find a way to stop it, it's you."

"I need to go," she said suddenly.

"You can't leave in this state. Stay with me, just for tonight," he asked, more for his piece of mind than hers.

"I can't sleep. I need to go," she repeated as she extricated herself from his arms and got to her feet to pull on her clothes. During this time she hadn't looked him in the eye even once. _What the hell did it torment her with?_

"Annabelle-"

"I'm so sorry, Ben. I'll see you later." She promptly opened the door, but he managed to get his sleep-addled body far enough to grab her arm before she left.

He whirled her around so that she faced him. "Please, Bells, tell me what has gotten you in such a state-"

"It's nothing," she insisted tersely, still avoiding his gaze. Before he could stop her, she yanked her arm out of his and disappeared into the darkness. He bit back from yelling her name after her lest he alert everyone to the fact that the queen had spent the night at his house.

He wanted to follow her with every fibre of his being, but he didn't know where she was going. He could ask Walter, but that would lead to a whole barrage of other questions. Instead, he opted for getting back into bed and trying to get some sleep, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the image of her terrified face out of his mind.

oOoOoOo

Somehow, Annabelle ended up back in her room without any interruptions. She felt terrible for leaving the way that she did, but she couldn't face Ben. The Crawler's vision was still too fresh in her mind and she knew that if she looked him in the eye, she'd see his blue irises as dead and lifeless. She wasn't strong enough to handle that right then.

However, being back at the castle did little to quell her thoughts. In fact, being in the empty room was even worse. She wanted to talk to someone, but she couldn't bear to see Ben and Walter would be fast asleep at the late hour. That left only one person who would know what she'd been through.

She changed into her pyjamas and dressing gown and padded barefoot down the hall. The stone corridors were completely deserted, something for which she was thankful for.

When she finally reached Logan's room, she could see the light from a candle burning inside. She carefully pushed open the door, just in case he was actually asleep, and peeked inside.

Her brother was in his bed, busy reading an old book. At the sound of the door closing behind her, he looked up in surprise, his expression quickly changing to concern and he closed the book. "Anna? Are you unwell?"

At his tender tone, she dropped all pretences of being cold and detached around him. "Yes…yes I am," she whispered, biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling. _There was a difference between being sacred and pathetic_, she reminded herself sternly.

Logan sat upright and motioned for her to come sit next to him. She sat down hesitantly on the edge of the bed, not meeting his eyes, but she felt him put his arm around her in an awkward embrace, as if he wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

When she was little, after he father's death, and she had had a nightmare, she'd run straight to Logan's room and crawl into the bed next to him. He'd spent the rest of the night soothing her until she finally fell asleep. Very hesitantly, she slid further onto the bed and wrapped her arms around her knees, Logan's arm still around her shoulders.

At last she gathered enough courage to voice her troubles. Her question came so quietly that she barely heard it herself. "When you returned from Aurora…Did you have nightmares?"

"Yes, terrible ones." She felt him shudder slightly. "Is that what happened?"

"It keeps taunting me, be it with burning cities or the deaths of those I love. I'm too scared to go back to sleep," she admitted. "If I have to see you or Walter or-" She stopped herself quickly before she said too much.

"Or Benjamin Finn," Logan finished for her. She looked at him in surprise and he returned her look with a quirked eyebrow. "You didn't think that it would have escaped my notice, did you?"

"I didn't think it would, but I did hope that you'd be more…preoccupied."

"He loves you very much, Anna. Anyone can see that." He stroked his chin in thought. "Though, I am curious. Have you told Walter yet?"

"What do you think? Do you think that Ben would still be alive if Walter knew?" she said with a wry laugh.

He uttered a chuckle of his own. "I thought as much. I find it very amusing that you can't seem to find a man that Walter actually approves of. First Elliot and now Mr Finn."

"Well, you know that I have a bit of a rebellious streak," she joked, leaning into her brother's embrace. It was nice to be able to talk to him after so long of being forced to fight him.

"Speaking of which, I never thanked you for not executing me." His tone became slightly resigned. "Avo knows I deserved it."

"Did you honestly think that I would consider it?"

"For a moment there I honestly thought that you would," he admitted. "Especially when Mr Finn made such a vehement case against me."

"You're my brother, Logan, and I love you," she said simply.

A rare ghost of a smile played on his scared lips. "I'm proud of you Anna and I'll do everything in my power to help you defeat this darkness. Even if it's only to talk to after those horrid nightmares."

The remnants of the darkness still lingered in her mind. "If I may…What was your nightmares about?"

"Mostly the same as yours. The destruction of Albion and the death of all her people, but the worst for me was Father telling me that I was a disappointment," he admitted and he shuddered slightly. "I also saw your death more than I'd care to imagine."

"I don't know what to do…I've been naïve these past few days in believing that everything would work out some way or another. I can't keep all my promises and keep everyone safe at the same time."

A sigh passed over Logan's lips. "I know. But, sadly, I'm not the person to consult on this. I didn't know where to draw the line…or maybe I didn't draw it far enough."

"Just promise that you won't kill me after **your** revolution, please?" she joked darkly as she dropped her head into her hands.

oOoOoOo

"Sir, you can't go in-"

"Oh, be quiet. She's expecting me!"

Annabelle looked up from the stack of papers at the sound of Reaver's voice to find him standing in her doorway, a sly smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. She couldn't stop the wave of revulsion washing over her as the deviant flashed her a saucy wink and strolled into the room as if he owned it.

She was already suffering from an intense headache from her lack of sleep the previous night and Reaver was sure to morph it into a full on migraine.

"My most delightful highness, how are you on this fine day?" he asked, bowing slightly when he reached her desk.

"Master Reaver, what are you doing here?" she asked, fixing a false smile on her face as she got to her feet. "I am actually very busy-"

"Nonsense, my dear!" Reaver sat down on one of the plush chairs and propped his feet on the coffee table. "I'm sure those miscreants can wait a moment more for you to decide their fate," he said with a flippant wave.

"Very well, but do make it quick," she huffed as she sat down across from him. "If this is regarding that party that you discussed with my aide, I'd like to politely decline the offer."

"_Ma chéri!_ Don't be absurd! It's important for these people to enjoy a night before they meet their inevitable end," he drawled. "What better way than to throw a party to celebrate your Highness's birthday! And, the pièce de résistance…It's a masquerade!"

"I don't think that the kingdom has the money to afford it-"

"Did your aide not tell you? I'm offering to pay for everything!"

She eyed the dark-haired man warily. There was no reason for her to trust him, especially after what had happened at his mansion and he never did anything without there being some kind of perk for himself. "I apologize for asking, but why are you doing this, Master Reaver? Why do you want to spend your money hosting a party in my honour?"

"Because I want to make amends after our little misunderstanding. What do you think about it being a masquerade? To make up for the previous one," he said, the smirk never leaving his face. "We'll all dress up and no one will divulge who they are…Very secretive, don't you think?"

Something told her that no manner of argument was going to deter him. "Very well," she sighed.

"Oh, lovely! The invitations will be sent out as soon as possible!" Reaver got to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me, there are a few things that I need to attend to. Tatty-bye!" With this, he turned on his heel and waltzed out the door without another word.

Annabelle stared after his white coat-tails, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe that man…" she muttered as she walked back to her desk. Almost immediately, another distraction knocked at the door. She glanced up to see one of her maids. The slight, blond girl stood cowering in the doorframe as if she was too scared to come in.

A comforting smile spread over her face and the girl reluctantly returned it. It took Annabelle a moment to recall her name as she motioned for the girl to come in.

"S-S-Sorry to bother, your M-majesty," she stuttered as she curtsied deeply before her. "I-I-I just came to dust off a f-f-few things. I can come b-b-back later, if-"

_Emily…That's her name! _The queen bit her inner cheek to stop herself from grinning even wider at the girl's obvious, though completely misplaced terror. "Calm down, Emily," she laughed. "I'm not going to hurt you. Go ahead."

Emily gave a tiny nod and, with her head still bowed, started to dust the mantelpiece. Annabelle returned to her work when she suddenly remembered the mistaken rumour that was circulating through the castle.

"I'm sorry to bother, Emily, but could I ask you a question?" The tiny girl jerked at the sound of her voice and looked at her in fright.

"Y-Y-Yes, my lady?" she asked hesitantly.

"I overheard someone a few days ago telling of an Auroran man that is said to be my lover skulking around the castle. Do you know anything about that?"

The girl looked absolutely horrified. "No, my lady! I'd never spread around something like that!"

"That wasn't what I was saying at all. I was only asking because I wanted to know who saw him, because I have absolutely no idea who he could be." She looked Emily right in the eye. "Please, I need your help."

The maids brown eyes were as wide as saucers. "Oh, I…I don't know who started the rumour, but I saw the man as well," she said hurriedly, her stutter disappearing almost immediately. "Someone thought that he was from Aurora because he has such tanned skin and they liked the romantic idea of you bringing someone back from so far away…Frankly, I don't believe that he's Auroran at all."

"Oh? Could you describe him for me?"

"Um…dark hair, tanned skin…I didn't see much else. It was dark," she explained reluctantly.

For a moment, she feel very concerned about who the man was. "I understand…but do you remember anything else? Any marking or clothing…?"

Her brow furrowed in concentration. "I think he had some kind of scar on his neck, or it could have been a tattoo," she said finally.

It didn't sound familiar at all. Most likely it was just someone that was sleeping with one of the maids or at least that was what she hoped it was. "Thank you for your help, Emily," she said sincerely. "Please tell me if you see him again or remember anything else."

"Of course, my lady," she said, bobbing her head eagerly. "I'll finish with the dusting."

Annabelle nodded in acknowledgement and returned her attention back to the reports on the desk.

Just when she was getting back on track, there was another knock at the door.

"I swear…I'm never going to finish this," she muttered as she turned around on her chair. "Come in."

"Ah, Majesty, Master Reaver just informed me that you've agreed to the ball. I've brought the tailor for your fitting," Hobson said in his horridly nasally voice.

She sighed loudly and tried to keep from yelling at him. "Why would you think that I would want to be fitted for a gown right at this moment?"

"My Lady, the tailor needs at least a week to make a dress that's worthy of Master Reaver's ball," Hobson replied.

"Just…do it quickly," she agreed. She was too tired to argue with Hobson for the umpteenth time that day. With another loud sigh, she got from her chair to allow the tailor to take her measurements.

The tailor was a large, muscular man that seemed completely out of place in the stylish cravat and tailored pants that he was wearing. He was the very definition of irony.

"Now, I was thinking about a full skirt with a lovely sweetheart neckline and tight-fitted sleeves that end just below the wrists…" He continued to babble on as he took her measurements. Frankly, she didn't care overmuch about the dress or the masquerade for that matter. She had bigger problems to worry about.

When they, too were finally done, she was finally allowed to finish her work.

oOoOoOo

"So…What is this I hear about you caving about the masquerade?" Ben leaned casually against her bedpost, his arms crossed over his chest. Annabelle glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as she closed the drapes in front of her windows.

"Reaver wants to make up for our previous "misunderstanding" as he calls it," she sighed as she sank down onto her vanity chair.

"I don't trust him," Ben muttered angrily. "He's planning something."

"Of course he's planning something! It's Reaver!" She started brushing out her hair in frustration. As she angrily yanked the brush through her hair again, she felt Ben placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't pull out your hair over him, Bells," he whispered, kissing the crown of her head. "And don't think for a moment that I'm letting you go in there alone, again. **I'm** the only one that's allowed to tie you to the bed."

At her words, she hit him playfully on his arm before leaning back into his chest. "But enough about me. How was your day?"

"Oh, you know…Last day of freedom and all that". Her eyes darted to his smirking reflection in the mirror and saw his smile falter. "Are you feeling better after last night?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"I have to apologize again for running out. I didn't want to leave you, but I was scared out of my mind." She felt her heart clench at the memory of the Crawler's nightmare and glanced down at her wringing hands.

"Love, you can talk to me about anything," he said as he gently started to work out the knots in her shoulders.

Her muscles relaxed involuntarily at the kneading of his fingers, but she couldn't get her mind to calm down. "Ben…I love you, but I can't tell you. Please, understand," she pled quietly, not meeting his eyes.

His hands stilled. "I…Very well, Bells. I won't pester you about it. Did you find out more about the mysterious "lover" of yours?"

"Not a lot, I'm afraid. It's probably only one of the chambermaids' paramours. Hopefully."

His jesting smile returned almost at once and he leaned down to rest his chin on her head. "So, who are you taking as an escort to the masquerade?"

She pretended to think about it for a moment. "There was a man that caught my eye the other day in the market place…"

"What did this man look like?" he asked in a playful tone, wrapping his arms around her waist. She could see his blue eyes were sparkling with a familiar slyness. "And think very carefully about what your answer is going to be because I know how to get information out of you."

She bit back a smile and leaned into his embrace. "Well…He was blond…"

"Yes?"

"With this annoying fringe that keeps falling into his blue eyes-"

"You're describing almost every single person that I know," he drawled. "How about being a bit more specific?"

The temptation to tease him was too big for her to ignore. She tapped her chin with her forefinger in mock thought. "He could probably be considered handsome in certain lighting…"

"Oh?" He narrowed his eyes mischievously at her in the mirror.

"He's not **that** muscular and his voice also reminds me of a young boy-"

"You stop right there, Princess," he growled playfully, tightening his hold. "No one insults my roguishly handsome features or my voice."

"Do you think that I was talking about you?" she said slyly. "I was talking about another blond, blue-eyed soldier that I met in the market-"

He chuckled quietly and shook his head at her. "Haha, very funny," he said sarcastically before his expression became serious. Or as serious as Ben's face could be. "But to be serious for a moment, who are you going with? It would be an absolute scandal if the queen showed up with her extremely handsome and charming general, don't you think?"

"That's the beauty of it, oh handsome and charming general of mine…It's a masquerade. Use your imagination."

"You would actually appear in public with me?" he asked, feigning shock and extreme excitement. "Oh, sweetheart, this is the best news of my life!"

She rolled her eyes at his sarcastic display. "Shut up, you. If you're so shocked, I could always ask Elliot."

"Go ahead, ask that excuse of a man. While you're at it, please see if his eye has healed yet," he said in a distinctly mocking tone. "And if it did, tell me so that I can rectify that."

"Or I could always ask Reaver to accompany me-" He cut her off by picking her up bridal-style. "What on earth are you doing?" she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You're obvious feverish and delusional. You're going to bed," he joked. With both of them still laughing, he put her down on the bed and laid down next to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. When he spoke next, his tone was laced with actually earnestness. "I'm not leaving you alone tonight, Bells. Not for anything."

"Thank you," she whispered and wormed closer into his arms. She shut her eyes and waited for the nightmares to come again.


	32. Chapter 32

_AN: Thank you so much for the continued support! _

_I apologize for the even longer chapter that usual. I had so many ideas and I didn't want to divide it into two parts._

_Chapter 32_

The rest of Annabelle's week was filled with various trips around Albion and stacks of paperwork.

Finally, it was the night of Reaver's party. She was still slightly apprehensive towards the idea, but, if she had to be honest, there were a great number of people who were very excited about the masquerade.

After a bout of vehement insistence that she wanted to enjoy anonymity for a change, the teal gown turned out to be much simpler than Hobson had originally wanted it to be and she could actually manage to dress herself. To add to the effect, she also decided to dye her hair blonde for the night. A simple silver mask finished off the outfit.

She couldn't help but smile at her reflection. Before the revolution, she'd always enjoyed getting dressed up for balls and such and that familiar feeling of giddiness took over before she realised it. Maybe the evening wouldn't be so horrible after all.

When she made her way downstairs, Ben was already waiting with a carriage, complete with a bouquet of roses. He looked exceptionally handsome in an ocean-blue doublet, dark pants and a matching mask that brought out the colour of his eyes. Said eyes widened in surprise when they landed on her hair and a roguish smile split over his lips.

"Well, I have to say, sweetheart, I honestly doubt that anyone is going to recognise you," he laughed as he opened the door for her, holding out a hand for her to take. "You look beautiful, Bells. I can't decide if I like the blond hair more."

"Are you getting bored with me already, Ben?" she asked coyly as she stepped into the coach.

"Not a chance, Bells." He shot her a wink as he got in after her and closed the door. The ride to Millfields didn't take long thanks to Ben's animated chatter and Annabelle had to admit that the idea of a night of simple enjoyment and nothing relating the coming of the Crawler was becoming more and more appealing.

By the time that they reached Reaver's stately manor, there were already plenty of guests wandering about. Although the ball was supposed to be in honour of her birthday, one thing that she insisted on was that there was to be no fanfare announcing her arrival or actual divulgence of her identity. The guest simply had to be content with simply knowing that their queen was somewhere in the room.

Thankfully, Reaver kept his end of the bargain. When the entered the elaborately decorated ballroom, no one seemed to be waiting for her arrival, except for the deviant himself. The party was already in full swing, with a group of musicians filling the hall with jovial tunes while the partygoers whirled around on the dance floor. The tables were stacked high with food and drink and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"I seldom agree with anything that Reaver does, but I have to say, he really outdid himself," she commented as she took in the full grandeur of the room.

"It's still early. He can still unleash a horde of balverines or try to kidnap you again," Ben replied darkly. "Or who knows? Maybe he'll think of a whole new way to ruin the lives of everyone around him.

She rolled her eyes at him, though she secretly agreed. "Calm down, Ben. No killing Reaver tonight, please? Or no killing Reaver without provocation. Just try to enjoy yourself."

"And here I thought that I was going to have to convince **you** to relax," he chuckled as he tightened his hold around her waist in a discreet hug before removing his arm. "Fine. No killing the debauched pirate."

"Thank you. Now be nice," she said through smiling teeth as Reaver came their way. He was easily recognizable in his red suit and matching top hat, despite the menacing-looking mask. _Or maybe it's because of that mask,_ she thought as she plastered an even bigger smile on her face. "Master Reaver! I have to say, I'm impressed by what you managed to put together."

Reaver gave a small bow before taking her hand to kiss it. She couldn't help but notice that the hold on her hand was slightly longer than what was socially acceptable. "Your most gracious majesty! I'm so pleased that you approve! Only the best for our wondrous ruler!" he said in his silky smooth tone when he finally straightened up. His green eyes flickered to her hair. "I see you were serious about the "blending in" bit. Though you look no less beautiful than before, I might add."

"Thank you, sir." Annabelle could literally fell Ben shaking with fury at Reaver's continued and exaggerated flattery, but for once in his life, he kept himself in check.

"Would you do me the honour of one dance, your majesty?" A patronising smirk quirked at the corner of his lips. "That is if your escort doesn't mind…Mister Flan, was it?"

Ben sneered in reply. "Close," he growled sarcastically. "It's General Finn. And as I am in charge of the queen's security detail, I would suggest that you learn it."

"Do you think it wise to threaten me in my own home, **general?**" Reaver said, quirking an immaculate eyebrow.

"Mum always did say that I didn't get the brains in the family," Ben replied curtly. Both men continued to stare at each other, no one giving any sign of backing down.

"Please, sirs, let's not ruin the fun for everyone else," she interrupted quickly, stepping between them. "I'd love to share a dance with you, Master Reaver, if only to thank you for the trouble you've gone through."

Reaver shot one last rather triumphant look at Ben before taking her hand in his. "Then let us not dally around." He quickly led her to the dance floor and they seamlessly fell into step with the other couples. If there was one thing Annabelle had to admit about Reaver, it was that he was an excellent dancer.

"I just realise that I have yet to congratulate her majesty on her birthday," he said after a while.

"Thank you, Master Reaver," she said courteously as she silently counted down the seconds until the dance would end. She wanted to avoid any moment longer than necessary spent in Reaver's company.

Finally the last notes of the song faded away and she quickly fell into a curtsy. Reaver returned it with a bow and took her hand to kiss it again. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Majesty," he said with a sly smile before leaving the dance floor. She found his lack of persistence suspicious all in itself, but she wasn't in the mood to question it.

Ben quickly found her after that, still seething silently. She looked at the dancing couples with renewed interest and a smile split over her lips as she looked at the man next to her. Ben met her gaze and let out an exaggerated sigh.

"I'm going to have to spend the night dancing, aren't I? Just so you know, I'm not particularly good," he said.

"Well, all of this is because of my birthday…I'd say that you'd have to dance with me at least thrice in honour of that," she quipped as she started to drag him onto the floor.

"I thought you didn't want to make a fuss about your you-know-what," he whispered conspiringly before placing his hand on her waist and taking the other in his. "I'd say that insisting that others bend to your will because of it sort of defies the point of the whole anonymity game you're playing."

"Not everyone," she corrected him as they started to follow the beat of the music. "Just you."

"Me and Reaver you mean?"

"Just drop it, Ben. Please? The obligatory niceties are handled and we can spend the rest of the night together. Can we agree on no jealous, possessive behaviour out of you?"

"Of course," he grinned. Before she could say anything more, he twirled her around in a complicated motion, finishing the manoeuvre by holding her in a dip. When he pulled her back up to her feet, she shot him an accusatory look.

"You said you couldn't dance."

"Would you truly be surprised if I exaggerated my inability just a tiny bit?" he asked with a shrug.

"Yes, because you seldom admit to being less than outstanding in anything that you do," she countered.

"So we both agree that I am outstanding in every way?" he joked.

Her eyes rolled involuntarily. "Some would call that arrogance, sir."

"Well, I have been called outstandingly arrogant, so it fits."

"It's a wonder-" She was cut off when another couple slammed into her back with so much force that she was flung off her feet and into Ben's chest.

"Hey! Watch where you're going mate," Ben snapped over her head as he helped her to her feet again.

"I apologize, sir. It seems that I'm a bit out of practice," a familiar voice said and Annabelle whirled around to make sure that she heard right. She was nothing less than startled when Elliot's brown eyes met hers. He looked confused before his eyes widened in recognition. She knew that he was one of the people that would know who she was, even while wearing a mask and with her hair dyed blond.

He hastily fell into a bow. "Your Majesty, I apologize again," he said and the woman, who she recognized as Linda, bowed as well.

"It's fine," she managed before turning her gaze to Ben. From the way his jaw was set and his eyes were narrowed, he recognised Elliot as well and she sent a silent prayer to Avo that he wouldn't hit him again. Thankfully, Ben merely took her hand in his to continue dancing, purposefully moving away from the other couple, but not before pulling her close possessively and kissing her quickly, but fiercely on her lips. Annabelle caught the shocked expression on Elliot's face before he disappeared among the other dancers and she could help the feeling of immense satisfaction.

"You enjoyed that," she laughed when they were out of earshot. "Much more than you should have, in fact."

His face lit up with a bright smile. "Yes, I did. Forgive me for being a horrible person."

"I'm proud of you," she said after a while of silent swaying. "For a moment there, I was afraid that you'd try to defend my honour again."

"Nah. What I did felt much better than punching him. The look on his face was absolutely priceless."

Her eyes flickered to a figure just over Ben's shoulder. "Well, there might be a price after all, Captain. Walter is coming this way."

Ben paled slightly before deftly manoeuvring them to the other side of the dance floor before leaving it completely. "Do you think he saw us?" he whispered when they were standing near the food tables on the opposite side of the room.

"Saw what?" a gruff voice asked from behind her and from the slight crack in Ben's usual poker face, she had a very good idea who it was.

"Nothing, Wally. You enjoying yourself?" Ben said casually, discreetly pulling his hands away from her.

Annabelle had still yet to turn around at this point. "Do you know what, Ben? I'm not going to ask about that obvious change of topic just because I'm in such a good mood. What I wanted to know is if you've seen Annabelle tonight. I don't see her anywhere."

"I'm right here, Walter," she said, turning around with a smile on her face. "I'm glad to see that my disguise worked."

Walter looked genuinely shocked at her reveal. "Anna?" He burst out laughing as he clasped a hand on her shoulder. "You look so different!"

"That was the idea, Walter," she replied, still faking a smile.

"Well, Anna, I wanted to say happy birthday." His weathered cheeks coloured slightly as he held out a small package towards her and her smile turned genuine. "This is for you."

"You shouldn't have, Walter. Really. You've done so much for me already-"

"Stop arguing, Annabelle. Just take it," he grumbled, clearly embarrassed.

"I'll be right back," Ben said quickly before slipping away.

The package was a small square, about the size of her fist, and though it seemed crudely wrapped, it was clear that it was done with immense care. As carefully as she could, she removed the paper to reveal a small box. Shooting another glance at Walter, she carefully opened the box. A small, intricately designed charm rested on the bed of velvet. The charm was a miniature replica of her hero sword and sparkled whenever it caught the light.

"Walter, this is…this is amazing!" she gasped as she inspected the trinket. "It's beautiful."

She could have sworn that his chest puffed out at the compliment. "I'm pleased that you like it, Anna. Can I help you to put it on?"

She extended the arm wearing her charm bracelet wordlessly and for a moment Walter's large fingers struggled to open the delicate clasp. When he finally managed to secure the clasp, she pulled him into a tight hug, her arms thrown around his neck. "Thank you, Walter. For everything," she whispered.

He was clearly taken aback by her display, but returned the embrace fervently after a moment. For a moment she was so overcome by the vision of his body lying broken and bleeding that she couldn't stand to let go. Eventually, she managed to convince herself that he was real, alive and breathing. Walter, her rock-fast support, was right there with her.

She quickly wiped away a stay tear before smiling brightly at him. "I apologize for that."

"I'm happy to see you so relaxed, Anna. You've been so stressed lately and I've been worried about you." Concern clouded his dark eyes before he returned her smile with a gruff one of his own. "But I don't want to keep you from your own party. Enjoy yourself."

"Only if you do the same." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'll see you later, Walter."

Walter cleared his throat loudly in embarrassment and nodded in acknowledgement before marching off in the opposite direction. As she watched him leave, she couldn't ignore the feeling that someone was watching her. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she subtly looked around the mass of bodies, but everyone looked otherwise occupied. For a moment, she thought she saw a flash of black out of the corner of her eye, but when her eyes focussed on where she saw it, it was gone. Yet the feeling of being the object of someone's scrutiny still lingered.

An involuntary shiver ran down her spine.

"Is he coming back?" a voice asked suddenly asked in her ear. Stifling a shriek she whirled around to find Ben standing behind her, looking as startled as she felt. "Whoa, Bells. It's just me."

"You scared me," she breathed, trying to calm her racing pulse.

Concern clouded his eyes and he pulled her into the shadow behind one of the pillars. "Why are you so tense? Did something happen?" he asked insistently.

"No, I'm sure I imagined it," she insisted. Ben looked as if he was going to argue, but wisely thought to leave it.

"If you say so." A smirk split over his lips. "Listen, Bells, the little interruption from Wally reminded me…I still need to give your present." This was accompanied with a sly wink and his hand lightly cupping her face.

"Ben, we're in public!" she hissed as she slapped his hand away. "Are you insane?"

He promptly burst out laughing at what she assumed was her expression. "Not that!" He seemed to think for a moment. "Well, at least not now. I'm actually serious about the present though."

"Ben, I asked you not to get me anything-"

"Nonsense. Come on." Before she could argue further, he grabbed her wrist again, this time leading her down a deserted corridor. After a long walk in silence, he finally darted into one of the open rooms, closing the door behind him.

A single candle illuminated the room and from what she could make out from the brooms, buckets and shelves of assorted items, they were in some sort of storage room.

"Is this truly necessary?" she sighed exasperatedly.

"I wanted to do this is private."

"Again, I asked you not to get me anything. You've already spent so much on that dinner-" she started but he cut her off again.

"Firstly, I borrowed the dining ware. I should have mentioned that I might have been lying before to get you to forgive me," he added quickly. "Secondly, you asked me not to **buy** you anything and I didn't." He placed a rectangular package wrapped in brown paper in her hand. "Please, you're insulting me by not opening this."

She feigned another exasperate sigh before removing paper. The box underneath the wrappings was made of seemingly inexpensive pine and it was very worn in a few places. Even so, the box seemed very well cared for. Suddenly curious, she lifted the lid to reveal the box's contents.

The inside of the box was an inconspicuous as the outside and a thin chain rested on the bottom. Carefully, she lifted the chain up to the light. Like the box, the chain was worn and not as expensive as something one would find in the Bowerstone markets.

A small pendant hung from the chain. Annabelle had seen and owned enough gems to know that the green stone on the center was made of paste and the gold back, which once had some sort of engraving, was scratched so that the message was illegible.

She looked at Ben in slight confusion. She knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't give her some cheap piece of jewellery as he was seemingly sensitive about his lack of funds. Clearly, it held some other meaning for him.

"It was my mum's," he said after a while. "About the only piece of jewellery she owned except for her wedding ring. My father gave it to her when Jason was born." A fond smile split over his face. "It's the only thing I kept when I left Gunk. Well, that and this signet ring that all us Finns owned." He motioned to the silver ring on his finger before cocking his head in the necklace's direction again. "For some reason, I couldn't bear to sell the damn thing. Well, that and the fact that you probably guessed that it's practically worthless. But monetary value aside, it was my mum's most prized possession."

She suddenly felt overwhelmed at the touching gesture. It was clear how much the necklace meant to him. "I can't accept this, Ben. It's the only thing you have of your mother," she argued and held the pendant out to him, but he stopped her by clasping his hands over hers. The intensity of his gaze was startling.

"I **want** you to have it. I have my memories, Bells. I don't need a piece of jewellery to remember my family. I know it doesn't seem like much, but that pendant is a lucky charm. On the days that my mum didn't wear it, things like death in the family happened," he joked, obviously trying to ease the tension.

"Thank you, Ben," she said sincerely. "It's perfect." And it was. She'd gotten so many expensive presents over the years, but very few of them meant as much to her as this. It had clearly taken a lot of thought to give it to her.

"It's far from perfect, Bells, but I doubt I'll ever be able to do better than sentimental trinkets," he said with a self-decrepitating smirk.

"Can you help me put it on?"

"Of course." She turned around and she felt him move her hair out of the nape of her neck to secure the clasp. His fingers lingered far longer than was necessary and she almost jumped when the calloused texture of his fingers was replaced by his lips caressing her neck.

Sighing in contentment, she leaned into his embrace as he continued to lavish attention on her skin. His lips moved lower to the juncture of her neck and shoulder, nipping lightly at the skin every so often. Tendrils of pleasure gripped her nerve endings and an involuntary moan sounded in her throat. Ben chuckled softly before wrapping his arms around her waist, his mouth never leaving her skin.

"Ben…If we don't get back to the ballroom…someone's going to notice we're gone…" she managed finally.

"It's a masquerade," he said simply before turning her around so that could kiss her lips. "Besides," he muttered between kisses. "No one is supposed to know what you look like."

She didn't even bother to respond to that. It was her birthday after all. She could enjoy a few stolen moments in a storeroom with her general.

The intensity of the kiss suddenly increased at her lack of interruption and she quickly found herself pressed against one of the walls. As always, Ben's hands were everywhere at once and she had to remind herself to breathe.

She was so lost in a haze of bliss that she almost missed the door of the room crashing open.

"What in the name of all that is holy and sacred are you two doing?" Walter thundered as he burst into the room.

Ben quickly pulled away from her, but they both knew it was too late. _Well, all the sneaking and lying was bound to catch up to us sometime,_ she thought as she avoided Walter's furious gaze.

"Listen, Wally, I can explain-" Ben was cut off when Walter's fist connected solidly with his jaw and he flew into the wall.

"Walter!" Annabelle immediately checked to make sure Ben was fine, all the while feeling Walter's heated gaze at her back.

"Explain what? How both of you lied to me? How the two of you deliberately went against my wishes?" In all the years that she'd know Walter, she'd never seen him so furious before. Compared to this, the incident in the war room was nothing.

"We were going to tell you," Ben said finally, meeting Walter's gaze.

"When? When you got her pregnant or something?"

"Well, it's obvious that we would have told you if she was pregnant-"

Annabelle quickly interrupted Ben before he made it worse. "Please, Walter…you need to believe me when I say that we never meant to keep this from you for longer than necessary. There wasn't a right time-"

"Do you want me to believe that there never was a time to say: "Walter, I'm sleeping with the biggest womanizer you know"?" A small part fury in his eyes became replaced by hurt. "Annabelle, you're like my daughter…To hear that you couldn't trust me with this-"

"I couldn't tell you, because look what you did!" She motioned to Ben's rapidly swelling jaw and Walter at least had the decency to look a tiny bit ashamed. "I know that you think that this is some fling or that Ben's planning on leaving at the first chance he gets, but you're mistaken, Walter. I love him and I know he loves me!"

"Is that what he told you? That he loves you? This is Benjamin Finn we're talking about, Annabelle."

"I know I've screwed up in the past, Wally, but I'm not lying about this. I love Bells more than I thought possible. I'd never willingly hurt her," Ben interrupted, holding his injured jaw. He gently clasped her hand in his free one before turning a defiant gaze back to Walter. "And if I do…Then you have my permission to what you want with me. But even if you don't give us your blessing Wally, I'm not going anywhere."

Walter's gaze darted between their faces and their intertwined fingers. He looked as if he wanted to argue even more, but instead, he let out a defeated sigh. "How long has this been going on?"

"Well…to be honest…I'd have to say since she rescued me from that dungeon," Ben replied. "But I didn't do anything about my feelings until we found you two in the desert," he added quickly.

Walter looked startled for a moment before another loud sigh tumbled from his lips. "Do you trust him, Anna?"

"With my life, Walter," she said with as much conviction as she could manage.

Walter looked at Ben with a strange expression in his eye. "I still don't like this…In fact, I doubt I'm ever going to like it, but despite all your faults, Ben, I know that you're a good man. And the fact that you've protected her so far…I can never find fault with that." His gaze turned hard again. "But if you so much as put a toe out of line, my previous warning will take effect. Do we understand each other?"

Ben swallowed loudly. "Yes, Wally. But you don't have to worry."

"I'll decide if I need to worry," Walter grumbled loudly. "Consider yourself on a probation period."

"Walter, is that truly necessary?" Annabelle interjected, but Walter waved her off.

"I'm sure if he's so dedicated as you both say he is, he'll be fine. Now I'm going to find something strong to drink so that I can process all of this," he muttered before leaving.

"That went well," Ben said after a long while of silence.

She rolled her eyes before kissing him on the cheek. "I'm glad that you didn't run away."

"Believe me, if I had run, I'd be much worse off," he said dryly and he gingerly rubbed his swollen jaw.

"Let's go find you something to put on that. I'm sure Reaver has something amazing for bruising, what with him maintaining his perfect complexion and all that," she laughed as she led him out of the room.

"I don't think I want to put anything of Reaver's on my face," he grumbled, but he followed her none the less. "Just leave it. It'll go away soon enough."

"Men and their pride," she sighed.

"This has nothing to do with pride. This has to do-" Suddenly his gaze darted to something down the hall and his expression became guarded.. "Whoever the hell you are, get out here," he called out, stepping in front of her in a protective gesture. Annabelle doubted that anyone would try to do her harm in Reaver's manor in front of so many people, but it seemed that Ben didn't believe that. She was about to call him out on his overprotectiveness when someone finally stepped out into the hall.

In the faint light, she could barely make out Elliot's sheepish expression.

"Were you spying on us?" Ben growled as he took a step closer.

At Ben's words, Elliot's expression became slightly defiant. "No, **Captain**. I was merely looking for someone-"

"Which was why you hid when you saw us coming down the hall," Ben said sarcastically. "That's not suspicious at all!"

"I didn't want to see Annie again, alright? Once tonight was enough," he muttered, refusing to meet her eyes.

Suddenly something clicked in Annabelle's mind. _Why would Walter come looking for us in that storeroom in the first place, knowing exactly what he'll find?_

"You're the one that told Walter that we were in that room," she said quietly. She didn't know whether to be furious or pitying at the clearly desperate move. "You knew he'd practically blow an artery when he found me with Ben."

Ben practically lunged at the other man and held him up by his collar against the wall, but she managed to stop him before he maimed him. Elliot dropped his head in shame and still refused to meet her eyes. "I…I was jealous. I know that Walter was never completely accepting of our relationship, so I thought that he'd react the same way to the two of you."

Ben practically trembled with fury for what seemed to be the tenth time that night. "You coward! You lying, sneaking-"

"Ben!" she interrupted sharply. "Put him down. He isn't worth it."

After a few moments of terse silence Ben finally lowered Elliot to the ground. "I can't believe you'd do something like this, Elliot…I know you changed, but this? The man I loved would **never** stoop this low…You were always so honourable…" Annabelle said finally.

"I'm not the one that changed, Annie. This…this **man** doesn't deserve you!" Elliot spat.

"And you do?"

"No!" Elliot took a deep breath. "No…not after what I did. I realise that I made a mistake, Annie. But it was a mistake that I was willing to accept. Once again, I thought I was over you but to see you with **him**? I couldn't take it."

"It's time to get over it, Elliot. I love Ben and you love Linda. Let's all carry one with our lives," she said in a slightly more gentle tone.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty. I'll stay out of your way from now on." He started in the opposite direction before stopping. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

She gave a nod of acknowledgement and he headed back to the ballroom.

"I think it's time we call it a night," Ben said as soon as Elliot was gone and held out an elbow for her to take. "We've both had enough excitement for one day."

"This has been the most memorable birthday I've ever had," she admitted and hooked her arm through his.

"Well, here's to hoping it stays that way. I don't think I can handle anything more memorable than all of this."

oOoOoOo


	33. Chapter 33

_AN: Thank you so much for all of the continued support! _

_The next couple of chapters will include my own story arc containing elements of Blood Ties coupled with my own ideas. I hope you like it and please let me know what you think about it ;) _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fable: Blood Ties, Fable 2, Fable 3 or any of the characters_

_WARNING: The next few chapters will contain some spoilers for Fable 2, Fable: Blood Ties and A LOT of creative liberties on my part._

_Chapter 33_

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay? I can ask one of the majors or captains to handle the trip-"

Ben had stopped counting how many times Annabelle had rolled her eyes at him that day. "I'll be fine, Ben. I'm a grown woman and a Hero to boot." Her green eyes studied him intently. "What it this about? This won't be the first time you won't be around."

"I'm not questioning your competence." Ben's expression became worried as he felt the familiar feeling of dread curdling in his stomach. His "bad feelings" had been notoriously spot on in the past. "It's just…I can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen. And knowing that I won't be around if that happens only makes it worse."

"Something bad is going to happen. The Crawler will be attacking in less than three months, but staying here isn't going to change that." She shot him an encouraging smile. "I'll be fine. Go train with your brigade. I think it's a wonderful idea to go out in the wilderness with them. It'll only do them good."

"Well, those that survive at least," he said dryly. "Those rumours about the man skulking about hasn't been cleared up yet and there's been an increase in wolf sightings-"

"Are you still on that? Ben, don't you think that if that meant to do me harm, he would have done so by now? Besides, everyone I've asked has a different description. Once it was a tanned man with dark hair and a scar, then it was a skinny redhead and once a tall blonde. I finished taking that serious a long time ago. As for the wolves, to you think a wolf will leap into my room and kidnap me?"

Ben started to argue before sighing in defeat. "Just promise me you'll be careful? We went through enough trouble getting you on that throne for you to die before you destroyed the Darkness."

"Yes, yes, I'll be careful." She started to push him out the door. "Now shoo. I need to work."

He begrudgingly obliged her until he was out of the door. "I'll be back tomorrow," he said again, earning him another roll of her eyes.

"I know. Goodbye, Ben."

"Bye, Bells." He quickly kissed her goodbye before heading to the barracks, the ominous feeling gripping his innards still present. _Please, if someone is listening, don't take her away from me as well, _he prayed silently.

oOoOoOo

With Ben finally on his way, Annabelle settled down to figure out a few more ways to earn more gold. Seeing as the attack was less than three months away, it might be time for more drastic measures.

She couldn't help the feeling of utter defeat that settled over her. She'd kept all her promises to her allies, but this meant that there was no money to mount a suitable defence. Theresa's words echoed in her mind.

"She wasn't exaggerating when she said that the choice wouldn't be easy," she muttered to herself. By doing the honourable thing, she'd sentenced almost the entire kingdom to certain death.

_Time to switch to Plan B. Too bad I don't have a Plan B just yet…_

By the time that the bell tower chimed ten times, she gave up on figuring it out. _Maybe a good night's sleep is what I need. Avo knows I haven't been getting that recently…_

When she finally quieted her demons and started to feel sleep's welcoming embrace, the quiet sound of her window echoed through the room. Before she could react, someone leapt on top of her and pressed a rag over her mouth. She struggled fiercely against her attacker, but he was too strong even for her to handle. The powerful fumes forced her eyelids to droop and the strength seemed to be syphoned from her limbs.

Annabelle barely made out a pale, gaunt face with startling blue eyes before she slipped into oblivion.

oOoOoOo

When she finally woke up, her head was pounding and her vision was completely black. After a few panicked moments, she realised that the blindness was merely because of a blindfold.

She could feel someone's, probably her kidnapper's, warmth through her thin knee-length nightgown. The rhythmic beat of hooves sounded beneath her and the sharp bite of a winter gust on her skin. _Where is he taking me?_

Even if her limbs were capable of movement, they were bound by tight cords and the stranger was maintaining a powerful hold on her. Her body also seemed to refuse to any commands from her brain.

"You're awake," an unfamiliar voice rasped out. "We're almost there, Majesty. I suggest you don't move too much. The draught is not supposed to wear off for another three hours and I don't want you to tire yourself overly much or hurt yourself."

"You care about what happens to me? I find that hard to believe," she managed to croak out.

"Things are not always as they seem, Majesty." His tone turned almost apologetic. "But if you can only believe me on one thing, it's this. I don't wish you any harm."

"A kidnapper with a moral compass," she spat, her mouth still unbelievably dry. "Can you at least remove this damned blindfold?"

"I'm sorry, Majesty. We're almost there."

They continued on in silence and Annabelle cursed herself for allowing herself to be captured. _The Hero Queen as a prize. What an embarrassment._ She wasn't exceptionally scared as she seriously doubted that whoever this man was would harm her. She was too valuable. Most likely she'd be ransomed back to the kingdom.

She almost laughed at the thought. _Jokes on them, then. The kingdom is bankrupt._

After what seemed like a lifetime, the horse finally slowed to a stop and the man dismounted, all the way carefully helping her to the ground. He removed the bonds around her legs, but maintained a strong hold on her arm. "Can you walk, Majesty?"

"I'm not completely helpless," she spat, wrenching her arm from the man's grip. Then she realised that she couldn't see a damn thing and that she was still very drugged. It took every bit of her willpower and sheer stubbornness to keep from falling over. There was no chance that she would be able to fight him off or even walk. Still, she refused to be treated like a prisoner.

She almost jumped when the man next to her chuckled softly. "You certainly are spirited. I bet the men at the castle just love that." What surprised her most was that his voice didn't contain a single note of mockery. It actually sounded like…a compliment.

"Are you going to remove this piece of cloth or am I going to stumble around on my own?"

"My employer would be very upset if your majesty got hurt." Suddenly she felt herself being lifted off the ground and thrown over the man's shoulder.

"Put me down at once!" she commanded, but the man simply continued walking. "I said-"

"There is going to be a lot of trouble for the both of us if you don't quiet down, Majesty," the man said and she fell quiet. Not because of his warning, but because she suddenly felt too tired to do anything more.

_What in Albion did he drug me with? _she managed to think before the darkness closed around her again.

oOoOoOo

"I see she's unharmed. Seems you are not completely useless after all. Now get back to your usual place before my gracious mood wears off," a slightly familiar voice snapped.

"Yes, Master," the voice of her kidnapper said obediently and she heard the sound of retreating footsteps and the clanging of a steel door swinging shut.

Annabelle tried to move, but found herself tied to a chair in a dungeon of some sort. Through her haze of confusion, she realised that her blindfold had finally been removed. _Still blurry, but at least I can see again._

"Why, hello there, dearest Majesty," the first voice said and she instantly recognised it.

"Did someone hit you…over the…head to make you think…that it is a…good…idea to kidnap…the queen, Reaver?" she managed to rasp out.

"Get our guest some water," Reaver commanded and a timid girl rushed forward holding a cup of cold water. Annabelle considered refusing it only to spite Reaver, but her body screamed for a drop of water. The drug must have contained some kind of dehydrating agent. After an internal battle, she allowed the girl to pour the water down her throat.

"It's wonderful to see that your fiery personality has suffered no permanent damage," Reaver smirked while waving for the girl to leave.

"Why are you doing this, Reaver? Is it because I refused every one of your ideas? Or maybe it's because I refused your other offers once too many times?"

"Though being scorned by such a beautiful woman such as yourself hurt terribly, that isn't the reason for my invitation."

"Invitation?" She gave a wry bark of laughter. "I must have missed the option to decline. Or does that happen so rarely that you remove the option entirely?" she said sarcastically.

"Now, now, Majesty, no need to be snippy. If you stop interrupting me, I'll tell you why I brought you here." She wanted to say something more, but there was a thinly veiled threat in Reaver's green eyes that scared her.

"That's a good girl." Reaver sat down on a chair in front of her. "Now…I have a business proposal for you. I know that you are, how shall I put this, **pressed** for funding at this moment."

"How do you-" He quieted her down by pressing a slim finger to her lips and she had to resist every urge to bite him. As useful as she might be, Reaver wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

"Shush, my lady. I have my sources. I am glad to say that I have a solution that will benefit us both."

"I'm sure," she couldn't help but sneer. Suddenly a gloved hand flew out and slapped her hard across the face. Her ears rang from the impact and she glared at Reaver, her hatred for the man reaching a whole new level. "How dare you!"

Reaver looked as if he was going to slap her again, but his expression turned thoughtful instead. He slowly and almost luridly undid the sash around his waist before gagging her with it. She retched at the vile piece of clothing, but she couldn't remove it. Her cheek still stung from where he's struck her and tears of frustration and humiliation pooled in her eyes. Here she was, the queen of Albion , tied to a chair and gagged, wearing nothing more than a silk nightgown. She quickly blinked them away, instead vowing silently to get back at this man for doing this to her.

"That ought to keep you quiet. Back to my offer. Are you aware of my deal with the Shadow Court?" He looked at her expectantly before grinning wickedly. "Oh, my apologies. Well, let's assume that you don't. The gist of it is that I need to take a certain object to a group of…let's call them sages…every few years to maintain my lovely appearance. This object requires a certain escort, if you will.

Annabelle had only found out about Reaver's deal and immortality a few weeks before when she'd read her father's journal. Apparently, he'd sacrificed an entire village to this Shadow Court, including a woman that he loved. It only convinced her even further that Reaver was absolutely amoral and never to be trusted. Her father also wrote about being tricked into being the sacrifice by Reaver when he just arrived at Bloodstone. Thankfully, his Hero blood had saved him from death.

"You must know about your father's sacrifice, of course. Sacrificing his own youth so that a woman might retain her life…So **heroic**." Reaver almost spat out the last few words. "He never was much to look at after that."

"The point of this little tale is this. After Sparrow's little stunt, it took much longer before I needed to pay my old **friends** a visit and I also had a few extra benefits. After a bit of research, I found out that if a Hero makes the sacrifice, it benefits me so much more than if it's a mere mortal."

Her eyes widened with realisation at why exactly Reaver had kidnapped her.

His smile grew even broader at what she assumed was her expression. "Yes, you are a smart one, after all. But I'm not a monster."

She scoffed at this, but the malicious look in his eye quieted her down immediately.

"I'm giving you a choice. Do this and I'll give you all the money you need to mount your precious defences. One little trip to Bloodstone and you won't have to worry about that Crawler destroying your entire kingdom." He finally removed her gag and she gratefully took in a lungful of clean air.

"And if I refuse?" she asked finally.

"Well, that's simple. You don't get your money and I take the sacrifices I need from someone else." He tapped his chin in mock thought. "Maybe I'll start with a few innocent villagers…or should I start out with our previous ruler, hmm? Or maybe that doddering old fool that you insist to keep as an advisor? Better yet, that strapping blond general of yours…Don't think that you'll be able to keep them safe, Majesty. Just look at how easily I managed to get you here. All it took was a few months of spying and learning everything about you. You might have noticed some of the men lurking outside."

"That was your men? Might I ask why you changed them so often."

"To lull you into a sense of security, of course. If you saw different men, you wouldn't think much of it."

She had never felt more cornered in her life. Sure, she'd live, but at what cost? Her father speculated that the sacrifice was what allowed him to become so ill. If not for Reaver, her father might still have lived. Who was to say that the same wouldn't happen to her? But if she didn't do this, so many other people would get harmed. "Very well," she said dejectedly. She very much felt like she'd just sold her soul to the devil.

Reaver clapped his hands in delight, before ordering one of his guards to untie her. She still hadn't recovered all of her power yet and simply fell to the ground. "Wonderful! I'll arrange to get the money. We leave early the day after tomorrow. I have a few things to take care of." He turned to leave, but suddenly stopped. "Oh, something I should have mentioned this before…While Sparrow merely lost about fifty years or so, I've changed the little deal so that I wouldn't require a sacrifice for an even longer amount of time. This of course means that you'll only have about two or three more years left after the ritual, but at least your kingdom would be safe, right?"

"Skorm take you, you vile bastard!" she yelled and stumbled to her feet, but Reaver was already out of her reach on the other side of the bars. He merely tipped his hat before leaving while she hurled every insult she could think of at him.

_Three years?_ At that moment, she hated Reaver with every fibre of her being. She hated him more than she thought it possible to hate someone. He was stealing her life away from her. While her father did the right thing, he still had the years left to have a family and had the opportunity to get to know and raise his children. She wouldn't get that chance. Even if she married soon, her eldest child would barely be two before she gave her soul over to death. They'd worked so hard to get her on the throne and in one cowardly move, Reaver had overthrown it all.

_I'm barely twenty, for Avo's sake!_ She'd looked forward to so much…Ruling without the threat of an ancient evil, getting married, having children, growing old...When she wasn't thinking of how to thwart the Crawler, she'd started to entertain the idea of doing all of that with Ben...

Suddenly, she couldn't help but fall on the floor and sob loudly. The tears were out of pure frustration and helplessness, as well as sorrow of everything that she would never have. It wouldn't matter if she escaped…Reaver would simply find her again or hurt someone that she loved. She couldn't let that happen.

The conversation that she had with Ben on the boat on their way to Aurora replayed in her mind. _"Threaten to kill those I love and I'll do anything to protect them…"_

Her final and only act of greatness would be to stop the Crawler. Which, of course would only happen if Reaver held up his end of the bargain. But, somehow she knew he would. Reaver was, despite everything else, a man of his word.

Through her sobs, she heard the creak of someone's footstep. It was too dark to see than a few feet in front of her, but she could barely make out another silhouette in the adjacent cell. "Hello?" she asked carefully, scrubbing away her tears. "Who's there?" The shadow stopped retreating and turned to face her.

She caught a flash of startling familiar blue eyes in the dim lighting. The man was tall and much too thin. He could have been very attractive at some point, but his shadowy face was gaunt and a very sickly shade of grey and his blond hair lacked any lustre and fell limply into his dead eyes. A silver ring on his hand glinted in the torchlight. Something about him seemed so familiar yet so foreign at the same time.

All at once, the pieces fell into place.

"You're William, aren't you?" The man shrank even deeper into the shadows, but still continued to look at her. "You're William Finn."

"How…How do you know that name?" the raspy voice of her kidnapper replied hesitantly. "I've never met you before."

"I'm a friend of Ben," she said quietly as she got to her feet and approached the metal bars.

William's face lit up brightly at Ben's name. "Benny's alive? I went back to Gunk, but they told me that everyone was dead. I thought…I thought I was the only one left."

"Ben is fine." Despite everything, she felt a smile split over her lips. "He's going to be so happy to hear that you're alive!"

The previous joy was almost immediately replaced with horror. "No! He can't know that I'm here," William insisted, backing further away from her.

"He thinks that you're dead, William. He's spent the last fifteen years thinking that his entire family was gone!" she argued. "There's nothing that you could have done that would make it better that he think you dead!"

"There are things worse than being thought dead, Majesty," William replied sadly. "I don't want Benny to see my like this…He was always such a perpetual optimist and he'll try to save me. I'm too far gone for that."

She shook her head insistently and grasped the iron bars between their cells tightly. "No one is beyond redemption. Maybe Reaver is, but I know Ben and if you are anything like him, you deserve to be saved!"

William's eyes darted to the chain around her neck and before she could register what was happening, he stormed toward her and wrapped a hand around her neck and lifted her off the ground, choking her.

"Where did you get that?" he growled, his face changing into some sort of wolf-like muzzle. His skin rippled as tufts of fur grew all over his body and his limbs sounded as if they were breaking as they grew longer and thinner. He bared his fangs menacingly, the claws of his fingers digging into her skin. He resembled a balverine, but not entirely. She'd never seen such a creature before.

"Ben," she breathed, scrabbling to remove his iron hold on her neck. "Ben…gave…me…"

As quickly as he picked her up, she fell back to the ground, gasping for air. William retreated deeper into his cell, looking ashamed as he slowly returned to normal.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, staring at his now normal hands in disgust. His worn eyes met hers. "He gave it to you? You must mean a great deal to him."

"I love him," she said quietly, tightening her hold on the pendant as if to feel his comforting presence. _What happened to this man?_ she thought sadly. But monster or no, he was still Ben's only living relative. "That's why I can't not tell him that you're alive. I can't keep you from him."

"You saw what I've become…A deranged monster," he spat out.

She slowly got to her feet. "There must be a way to save you…Turning into a balverine-"

William gave a dry bark of laughter. "A balverine? If that was all I was." He motioned to the other side of the dungeon. Carefully, she walked to the other side of her cell and peered out. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw more of whatever creature William had turned into.

"Reaver calls us "Half-breeds"." As he said the name with disgust, the others growled in the darkness. "He changed us…All of us are slaves that were too difficult to control, or criminals that the jails didn't want. Myself…After I was brought to Bowerstone, I was sold into slavery. I escaped my masters about ten times before Reaver found me and changed me into…this." He motioned to himself in disgust. "Some hybrid creature that he can control and send to do his bidding. Part man, part balverine, part hobbe…Anything he could get his hands on that might give us an edge in a fight."

"You're so much stronger than him. Can't you escape?" She couldn't believe that even Reaver would sink so low to do something like this.

"If we ever try to leave unwillingly, we won't receive the potion that makes us hold on to our humanity. We'll become wild…a true beast," he whispered. William took a step closer to her and she could see his haunted expression. "Besides…There's something that he's using to influence us. It isn't always there, but sometimes a thought just pops into our heads and we have a compulsion to carry it out."

She walked closer to him and extended her arm to gently touch his cheek. William shivered but didn't jerk away. "I'll find a way to save you, William," she insisted. "All of you."

"Please, Majesty. Worry about yourself and not about me. My fated was decided long ago. But you…you can still save yourself."

"I don't think I can," she said softly. "Even if I escape somehow, it will mean someone else's life. Besides, if I do this, I'll get the gold I need to save Albion."

"If Reaver holds up his end of the bargain," William said bitterly.

"If there is one thing I know about Reaver, it's that he keeps his bargains right to the letter. As long as you make the terms very clear, he won't go back on his word."

"Majesty, there are people who depend on you to live longer than what Reaver is offering. If you refuse, people will die, but you'll save so many others by ruling."

She looked down at the ground. "I…I know. But he's threatening those that I love…My brother, my mentor…Ben. I can't lose them, William. I'm not strong enough for that."

"Annabelle, as much as I want my brother to live, I know that he'll tell you the same as what I'm about to. It doesn't matter how many others die, as long as you stay alive. Even in here, we've heard of the lives lost during the revolution to get you on the throne. Don't throw that away. You might not think it, but you will be able to handle it. Besides, Reaver is bluffing. He knows that if you escape, you'll seek retribution for what he's done, so he's trying to bully you into playing his game."

"And if you're wrong?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. "You should know this if you know Ben. Finns are amazing poker players."

"You and your family haven't had the best of luck when it comes to gambling, William," she said dryly.

"I know, but I've survived so far by trusting my instincts and reading people. And I'll help you escape. You'll be long gone before Reaver realised it."

She looked at William in disbelief. Here was a man who had everything to lose, but who was still willing to help her. "Why would you do that, William? He'll kill you if he finds out."

"He won't. I'm his Prime after all. If he kills me, the others won't obey him. Besides, any woman who managed to capture little Benny's heart can't be anything less than amazing. We Finns never settle for any woman who is anything less than that."

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "You…You are right about giving in to Reaver. What is your idea?"

"I'm going to need some time to figure that out. I'll let you know once I have a plan. You should catch a few hours of sleep in the meantime."

oOoOoOo

_AN: Urgh…Reaver is so freaking hard to write…I hope I managed well enough._


	34. Chapter 34

_AN: Thanks so much for all the continued support!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fable: Blood Ties, Fable 2, Fable 3 or any of the characters._

_WARNING: Fable: Blood Ties spoilers and creative liberties galore._

_Chapter 34_

"Walter! Annabelle! Are you around here?" Ben called into the deserted corridor early the next morning. He was rather irritated because four of the men had a rather big scare because of a balverine after they set up their tent too close to its den. It turned out to be nothing more than a few cuts and scrapes, but Ben had gone off on a rant that stupidity caused more injuries than mere lack of skill.

Thankfully, other than the almost maiming incident, things had gone according to plan.

"Annabelle?" he called again, making his way to her room. "Strange…She's usually up around this time," he muttered as he pushed open the door to her room. "Trust me to wake her up when she's actually sleeping late for once-"

His next words died on his lips when he found Walter and Logan in her room, their faces masks of pure worry. Ben hurriedly took in the state of the room and he felt his heart drop.

Her bed was a mess of tousled sheets, something that she couldn't stand, and a cold winter breeze wailed through the open window. What's more, her weapons were still in their usual places on her desk and her guild seal was lying on the bedside table.

"Where is she, Walter?" Ben asked quietly, his body quaking with shock. "Where the hell is she?"

Walter looked at him with sorrow. "I…I don't know. I saw her last night and when I came to check on her this morning, she was gone."

Ben's fist flew into the stone wall next to him. "I knew something was going to happen and I left anyway," he growled, running his uninjured hand through his hair. "I knew I shouldn't have left her alone!"

"Ben, you couldn't have known that on the one night that you weren't here, something would happen. Besides, maybe she went on a quest-" Logan tried to placate the furious general, but Ben would hear nothing of it.

"Without any of her weapons or her guild seal? I doubt it." He looked around the room for any sign of who might have taken her, fervently cursing anyone he could think of. _I can't have one good thing in my life, can I, Fate? You just had to spite me some way or another for allowing to believe that I could finally be happy?_ he thought fiercely as he rifled through her papers.

Walter put a large hand on his shoulder and Ben turned to look at him, feeling a cold sheath of despair gripping his heart. The old man gently shook his head, his eyes equally desperate. "She'll be fine," Walter insisted, but it sounded as if he wanted to convince himself more than Ben or Logan.

_You're not the only one who's scared, Ben,_ he chastised himself. _Annabelle needs you to stay calm and not lose your wits so that you can find her._

"Anyone that is crazy enough to kidnap the queen must have some obscene, sick plan," Ben said, sinking into the chair at the desk. "Best case scenario, they ask for a ransom that we can't pay. Worst case…I don't even want to think about it. Did anyone see anything?"

"No. The same rumours about that man again, but nothing about Annabelle," Logan sighed, his face dark with thought. For the first time, Ben realised how much the two siblings cared about each other and he saw that Logan was more than a simple tyrant. Ben knew from his expression that Logan would do everything in his power to save his little sister.

_If I find you, Bells, I promise to make amends with Logan,_ he bargained silently.

"Which one was it this time?" Walter asked.

Logan suddenly looked much more determined. "The tall blonde. Someone saw him leaving on a horse, but nothing more. You don't think…"

Ben nodded as he got to his feet and quickly headed to the door. "Whoever did this has been planning this for months. And I'm going to go find out who. I'll see you two later."

Walter's voice interrupted his departure. "Ben, stop! Believe me, I want to find her as much as you do, but if you go cantering in without a plan, You will do more harm than good. If anyone gets wind that she's gone, there will be mass panic!"

"I know! But I'm not going to sit here twiddling my thumbs while she's in trouble," Ben countered.

Logan uttered a low curse. "That's not what Walter or I'm suggesting. We're just asking you to be more…discreet. Go to the pubs, try to find out who was hiring mercenaries or something." He fixed him with a stern glance. "You're good at that, aren't you?"

Ben returned his gaze with a cocky smile, trying to mask his worry. "Of course I am. Let me get out of this damn uniform and I'll get right on it."

"Good. Walter and I will try the more official routes and see if we find something. I know a few guards who can be discreet about this information. Let us not waste any more time."

With an objective now clearly laid out in front of him, Ben hurriedly set about to find their missing queen.

oOoOoOo

"Are you sure this will work?" Annabelle whispered as she waited for William to pick her lock. Reaver was arrogant enough about his control of his "creations" that he didn't lock their cages. This, of course meant that William could easily unlock her door.

"Well, as sure as I usually am…Which is about sixty percent at most." The mechanism sprung free and the door swung open. "Let's go."

"I always wondered where Ben learned to be so good at picking locks," she wondered aloud as they headed down the stone corridors.

"Despite not being the closest in age, Benny and I always got along the best out of the four of us. His hesitation of unlawful behaviour aside, he was my apprentice. I taught him most of the more…unsavoury…things that he knows."

"Good to know. How much farther?"

"Down the corridor on the left, the turn right and we'll reach the stables. From there-" They were suddenly cut off by a group of armed guards and Reaver himself.

William stepped in front of her protectively, shielding her from their weapons. Once again, she was in awe of his unwavering determination to help her.

"Well, well…You didn't think I'd let my ace in the hole escape did you, Mr Finn?" Reaver drawled, twirling his cane. "You have a lot of nerve."

"Let her go, Reaver. She's the damn queen and she's trying to save her subjects. For once in your pathetic life, can't you have some sympa-" William fell to the floor, his body spasming wildly. Annabelle rushed to his aid, but it was as if a ghostly hand was pinching each of his nerves. Her eyes darted to the gem at the top of his cane that Reaver was toying with.

_That must be how he's controlling him!_

"Don't speak to me about pathetic lives, cur," Reaver hissed. "The queen and I have an accord and you're very close to outliving your usefulness." Another shock ran through William's body.

"Please, stop!" she cried and William mercifully fell still.

"As for you, Majesty, I would think that you'd be more cooperative and stay away from the rabble. I'm disappointed to say the least. But then again…it seems that you can't stay away from these Finn men. Does your little general know that you fancy the elder brother?" Reaver taunted and she had to stop herself from lunging at him. Without her weapons, she was useless.

Reaver's smirk grew wider at her lack of retaliation. "Ah! I have you speechless for once. But one good thing did come out of your little escape plan. I don't have to fetch you myself. Guards, tie her up, won't you?"

The men grabbed her quickly and William and tied their arms behind their backs. She felt more than one of their hands discreetly touching her bare legs and shoulders and she had to quell the wave of revulsion. Not for the first time, she wished that she was wearing something different.

"We're leaving early. I can't risk you trying to escape, can I? Besides, by now, your brother must have realised that you are missing," Reaver said as they marched to what she assumed was his private dock. When they reached the outside, she realised that they weren't in Millfields like she thought, but rather near a strange beach that she'd never seen before.

"Start loading our little friends. The last of the mercenaries should be arriving by late afternoon and then we'll set sail." Reaver flashed her a lurid smile. "Put her Majesty in my private quarters."

One of the burly men grabbed her roughly and dragged her to the lavish quarters. Her threw her to the ground and a disgusting smirk appeared on his ugly face as he licked his lips. For a moment she feared that the man wouldn't stop at delivering her to his master's cabin, but, fortunately, he seemed to rub the last two of his brain cells together and decide that it was a bad idea and left.

Heaving a sigh of relief and tried in to straighten the nightgown that had now slid up her thighs, she sank against one of the table legs and tried to think of a way to find William and escape. Once they left port, they would be out of options.

oOoOoOo

"Come on, men! The ship is leaving soon!"

Ben ducked his head even lower under his wide-brimmed hat as he followed the string of men to Reaver's ship. He'd managed to find out that Reaver was hiring mercenaries to act as bodyguards while he sailed to some undisclosed location. Ben found the pirate's sudden departure suspicious and concluded that he had to be the one that took the queen.

He'd then knocked out one of the more intellectually challenged men and took his contract, pausing only to scribble a quick note to Walter, change into a disguise and grab Annabelle's weapons before he hurried to the port where the ship was moored.

_With any luck, Annabelle will be on the ship,_ he thought. He didn't even want to consider the possibility that he was wrong and that he'd then end up on a ship with a man that very much wanted him dead. Admittedly, it wouldn't be the first time that he didn't think the plan through. _Positive thoughts, Benjamin_, he told himself.

They were quickly ushered onto the ship and Ben couldn't help but feel a sense of relief when Reaver let him pass without a second glance. _It's wonderful what a black wig, eye patch and hat can do, _he marvelled silently_. _

They got a quick tour and their orders before the ship left port. Luckily, the mercenaries only had to act if someone was stupid enough to attack the ship and, of course, when they docked at Bloodstone, which they found out was their destination now that they couldn't run away.

Ben wasn't bothered much, but one of the more skittish lads thought that it was a good idea to jump ship and swim to shore. Reaver, of course, took this opportunity to award one of his "Reaver Team Spirit Awards" and any remaining thoughts of leaving were quickly silenced.

_Alright, now that I'm on the ship, I need to find Annabelle so that we can get out of here._ Ben figured that if she was on the ship, she would be in Reaver's cabin, so he discreetly wandered over there and tried to figure out if she was indeed there.

"What are you doing here?" one of the guards asked suspiciously and Ben quickly assumed a "don't mess with me" attitude.

"What? Aren't I allowed to walk around?" he asked harshly, fingering the hilt of his sword. He'd gotten the sword off of a pirate he'd fought a long time ago and he hoped that the man would realise that it was a particularly dangerous weapon and that Ben wouldn't hesitate to use it on him.

Fortunately enough, the man caught the hint and backed away, his eyes widened slightly. "Of course, of course," he muttered and ran in the other direction. That was a handy new little trick that he had to remember. _Seems Reaver doesn't hire the sharpest men,_ he chuckled to himself.

A loud crash sounded from within the cabin, followed by loud cursing. Ben quickly dove behind one of the crates and glanced through one of the small windows. He had to stifle a laugh when he saw that Reaver's usually immaculate white suit was now blood red from what seemed to be wine.

"Listen, you little minx, if you try **anything** like that again, I won't hesitate to let you bunk with the men and I won't stop them if they tried to have a little fun. Do you understand?" Reaver yelled loudly, trying to dab at the soiled material.

"Yes, I understand that you can't handle a bound woman…What a pirate you are," a familiar voice mocked. Ben's eyes were immediately drawn to the only other figure in the room, sighing in relief when he recognized his princess.

Her nightgown was dirty and torn and her hair was dull from dust. A dark blue bruise marred her cheeks and her hands and legs showed evidence of being bound, but despite all of that, she seemed to be fine. And if her current acts of defiance was anything to go by, she had no intention of giving in to Reaver.

_Good girl,_ he thought brightly. Now they had to find a way off the boat. _We jumped off one before…We could try that one again. But first, I need to get her away from Reaver._

His train of thought was interrupted when the door suddenly burst open and Ben leapt out of his hiding place, trying to seem nonchalant as he stared out over the ocean.

"Fine then. If you want to be like that, I'll teach you a lesson. Hey, you!"

Ben turned around at the call and saw that Reaver was holding a struggling Annabelle in a vice grip. "Me?" he asked, pointing to himself in feigned stupidity.

"Yes, you." Reaver sneered. Suddenly, Reaver flung Annabelle in his direction. Ben barely managed to catch her before she fell to the ground and pulled her against him so that her back was pressed against his chest to keep her from recognising him. For both their sakes, Reaver had to believe that he was just another mercenary. Annabelle struggled against his hold, even managing to get a few kicks in, but he held her tight, smiling wickedly for good measure.

"There's a little present for you. Enjoy yourself. I'll come get her later." Reaver turned his attention back to Annabelle. "Now, hopefully this will teach you to be more respectful." He returned to his cabin, muttering something about silk.

"Don't you know that having a woman aboard a ship is considered terribly bad luck?" she cried after him, still struggling against Ben.

"Keep that up and I might just toss you overboard," Reaver called over his shoulder.

To keep up his current charade, Ben heaved Annabelle over his shoulder, pointedly smirking at the jealous looks that some of the men were shooting him. For added measure, he slapped her hindquarters roughly, at which she unleashed a hail of insults so dirty that he had to remind himself to congratulate her on them later. He didn't even know some of them himself.

He made his way below deck with the queen still struggling and yelling for him to release her. Finally, they reached his assigned bunk and he shooed out the other men with threats of disembowelment. He dumped her on the bed and closed the door, locking it behind him. When they were finally alone, he finally allowed himself a moment to breathe.

oOoOoOo

"Listen, you disease-ridden piece of filth, I promise that if you lay **one** hand on me, I'm going to make you wish that you'd never been born," she spat, trying to work her bonds loose. So far, she almost had one hand free and it would only take a few more moments of keeping the hulking brute off her before she could escape.

She frowned slightly when the man paused at the door and let out a huge sigh of what she could swear was relief. _What on earth…_

Then the man turned to face her, his exposed blue eyes piercing her gaze. For a moment she couldn't help but think of Ben, but that was impossible. The man's face split into a familiar grin and she couldn't help but feel another stab of recognition. _It…It can't be!_

"Take…take one more step and it'll be your last," she managed, still maintaining her fearless façade.

The man took a mocking step closer, raising an eyebrow in question. Finally she untied her hands, but before she could attack him, the man lunged toward her and pulled her into a crushing embrace, his lips seeking hers immediately. She sighed into the familiar embrace, her arms wrapping around his neck out of their own accord.

"Bells…Gods, Bells, I thought I'd lost you," he whispered against her lips, before kissing her fiercely. When he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, she couldn't miss the unadulterated relief that burned in his eyes. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

She could literally faint with happiness at the sight of him and an involuntary bubble of giddy laughter bubbled in her throat as the tears pooling in her eyes blurred her vision. She gently removed his wig and eye patch and she couldn't help the flood that now cascaded over her cheeks. "It's really you," she sobbed as she buried her face in his borrowed shirt. At least she assumed it was borrowed.

Ben wrapped his arms around her tightly, whispering comforting words into her hair. _I'm safe…He's here_, was all she could think as she clutched onto him for dear life.

Finally, she pulled away to look at him, a small smile on her face. "Was all that back there really necessary?" she asked jokingly.

He kissed her softly on her forehead. "I couldn't risk you finding out who I was before we were alone. It was sheer luck that Reaver decided to "teach you a lesson" right then." His eyes turned hard. "If that was anyone but me…"

"I doubt that you've noticed, but my hands are free," she reminded him.

"I forgot, you can handle yourself," he admitted, smilingly. "Good job with the wine, by the way. And those curse words."

She felt a blush creep up her neck when she recalled some of the words she'd shouted. "Thank you. Like you said before, you'd be amazed what you pick up when you spend enough time around soldiers."

Ben's smirk merely grew wider as he rummaged in one of the trunks. "Now, we need to find a way off this boat. There's a small rowboat just outside." He tossed her a pair of trousers, a shirt and a pair of boots. "They're going to be big, but I didn't have time to fetch your clothes. I "borrowed" these from Private Johnson. He's the smallest in the brigade."

She quickly pulled on the oversized clothes. "These will do fine," she said as she fasted the belt over the large pair of pants and quickly filled him in on why Reaver had kidnapped her.

"That…that-"

"Yes, call him names later. We need to go." She must have looked ridiculous in the slightly too large clothing, but it was much better that the flimsy nightgown.

"You know, that was one of my favourite nightgowns," he observed while she dressed. "And now it's trashed."

"From now on, I'm going to bed fully dressed," she muttered. When the laces of the boots were finally tied, she looked at him expectantly. He handed her sword and gauntlets to her and she immediately felt more confidant with them in her hands. "What was that about a boat?"

"It's right outside on the deck. Reaver is on the other side, so we don't have to worry about that, but Dumb and Dumber are probably outside listening in. Then again, they won't be too hard to get rid of."

"We can't leave yet," she declared suddenly and Ben looked at her in disbelief. "There's a friend of mine…He brought me too the manor, but then he helped me escape before Reaver caught us. His somewhere on this ship." William could tell him who he was himself.

"Bells, we need to get out of here," he argued but something about her expression must have convinced him. "Fine. He's probably in the hold."

"Then let's go."

oOoOoOo


	35. Chapter 35

_AN: I hope all of you had an amazing holiday! And thank you so much for all of your support so far!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fable: Blood Ties, Fable 2, Fable 3 or any of the characters_

_WARNING: Spoilers for Fable: Blood Ties and creative liberties galore._

_Chapter 35_

Ben couldn't understand why Annabelle wanted to rescue her kidnapper, but once she got an idea in her head, she wasn't easily deterred. _Let's just hope this friend doesn't get us killed._

After dealing with the two stooges, they made their way below deck, dodging the other men. Thankfully, Reaver didn't have a very large crew. In fact, it was so small that the hold didn't even have a guard.

When he pushed open the door, he couldn't help but gasp. The room was filled with cages, each housing a vicious-looking creature. He'd never seen something like them before.

"They're called Half-breeds. Reaver "created" them," Annabelle whispered in disgust. "They can change between their beast form and human form."

"And your friend is one of these…things?" he asked in disbelief, grabbing her arm involuntary when she approached one of the cages.

"I just need to find him-" She was cut off when one of the creatures burst out its cave and rushed toward him. It grabbed him by his throat and slammed him against the wall, knocking his wind out.

"Stop! He wasn't hurting me," she insisted, but the beast kept his eyes focused on his, breathing its foul breath in Ben's face.

Slowly, the creature traced its free hand…claw…over his arm until it settled on his hand wearing his signet ring. Carefully, the creature inspected it, its eyes widening in apparent disbelief.

As his meeting with death was temporarily put on hold, Ben took the time to inspect the creature that would finally kill him. Annabelle seemed to be frozen with…fear? Or did she understand that the creature's intentions might not be violent? He sincerely hoped it was the latter.

It seemed exactly like the others in the cages, except that he was slightly larger. Ben's gaze travelled down its thin arm and he gasped loudly when he saw the silver ring on the creature's hand. It was identical to his.

_No…Everyone…Everyone who had one of those is dead!_ "Whose bones did you dig up, beast?" he growled quietly, knowing full well the creature would hear him. The creature looked up from his hand, his eyes filled with what resembled sorrow. "Do you intend to collect mine as well?"

Suddenly the creature dropped him and slowly backed away, almost cowering. Ben, however, wasn't done yet. "Where did you get that?" he yelled, drawing his cutlass. "Tell me or I'll gut you, you filthy beast!"

"Ben, please," Annabelle pled, but he kept on approaching the beast.

The beast turned to look at him again and uttered a long, sorrowful howl. Ben moved closer as to strike him, but it looked as if it was struggling to say something and he brought himself to a halt in involuntary curiousity.

"Benny?" it managed, choking on the sounds.

Ben took an involuntary step back, his heart contracting. There was only one person in the whole of Albion that had ever called him that. The humiliating diminutive name had driven him crazy, but no matter how much he argued or complained, it wouldn't stop. Of course, if anyone else called him that, they would earn a thorough thrashing from said person that started it.

Brothers were strange like that.

_But…but he's dead!_ However, in truth, Ben had never seen his body. The last time he'd seen him, he was being carted off to Bowerstone.

"William," he breathed, his sword dropping from his hands as it he'd forgotten that it was there. "Dear…Avo…What has he done with you?"

The beast howled again before retreating deeper into the hold, but Annabelle ran up to it and placed a comforting hand on its shoulder. "It's alright," she seemed to whisper.

Ben was still too shocked to move. William was alive. His brother was still alive and currently inhabiting the body of a monster.

Finally, the monster looked at Annabelle as if looking for assurance and she nodded gently. It got to its feet and started to change.

His hair was longer and his face thinner, but there was no mistaking that the man in front of him was his brother. "Hi, Benny," he rasped, a hesitant smile on his gaunt face.

"William…How…how?" Ben stammered.

"It's a long story, Ben, but the point is, he's alive and we need to leave before Reaver comes looking for me," Annabelle interrupted, grabbing William's hand.

Somehow Ben regained the function of his voice. "Right. Let's…let's go. We can…talk later."

Still, William refused to move. "I can't," he said. "If I leave, I will have until sunset at the most before I lose all of my humanity."

"Where's the alchemist?" she asked. "The one making the potions to keep you human? Maybe he can make you a cure if we force him to!"

"Upstairs, but I doubt he'll be able to fashion the cure on the boat. If there is one. Besides, that leaves Reaver to deal with." William shot both of them a small smile. "Please, go. Get to safety."

"I promised that I'd help you, William," Annabelle insisted, but Ben gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"He's right, Bells. Besides, if we find this alchemist, Reaver will surely find you." He turned his gaze to William. "I don't want to do this, William. If her life wasn't at stake, I'd do anything in my power to help you, you know that right?"

"I know, Benny. You were always a sucker for a hopeless cause," he said with a smile. "You got yourself a real catch there, little brother. She was willing to sacrifice herself to keep you safe. Don't pull a Finn, alright? Keep on surviving."

"This is one thing I don't intend to botch up," Ben replied, forcing a smile. He'd barely met his brother again and he was lying already. He'd finally found William and now he had to leave him with the worst man that ever lived.

But he wasn't going to do that. Despite what he wanted William to believe, he was going to find that alchemist and get him a cure somehow before leaving the damned boat. He was going to get Annabelle as far as way as possible and free his brother. He'd most likely be killed in the process, but that was one promise he was going to keep.

_Sorry, sweetheart…I guess I'm going to have to break that promise about not causing you harm,_ he thought silently. At least she'll be safe. Besides, she'd get over him eventually.

He couldn't leave William like this. Not as a slave with no prospect of being free. His brother deserved the chance to have a life. Ben had had his adventuring days and he'd met and fell in love with the most amazing woman in the whole of Albion. He'd had a good run.

"I'm sorry," he said, the word's real intention hidden from the other two people in the room.

"Don't be."

"We can help him, Ben. We can't leave them like this!" Annabelle insisted again, but he shook his head.

"Wait." William's voice was oddly thoughtful like when he had some insane scheme that needed to be carried out. "You won't have to. What if you had the chance to help us by getting rid of Reaver?"

"What are you thinking, William?" Ben asked carefully.

William smiled slyly. "This room is stocked with gunpowder. If we set it up right…"

"We can blow Reaver sky high," Ben finished. Then he frowned. "But we couldn't all get out in time…No. No, William. I can't let you die."

"There are worse things than being dead, Benny. One of those being a mindless slave to that monster." William's expression turned serious. "If I stay here, I'm worse than dead. Please, allow me to die on my terms."

"Then I'm staying too. We'll set the fuse and run like when Miss Toby caught us in her peach trees."

A fond smile spread over William's face. "Benny, you know that won't work."

"William…please," Annabelle said softly. "There has to be a way-"

"Well, well…What do we have here?" Reaver drawled from the doorway. There was a strange man standing next to him, wearing a cloak and a skin-tight metal mask.

_That must be the "alchemist"_, Ben thought.

"It seems I underestimated you again, Mister Finn. You found a way to rescue her yet again. Bravo. But, of course, you had to stop for a little family reunion. You do realise that I wouldn't have noticed if you rescued the queen until now, don't you? You could have been long gone, but no, we're right back to where we started. And, better yet, I have a new pet to play with and our little queen will see why you don't attempt to double-cross me."

"Touch my brother and you will die, Reaver," William growled and the other creatures in the hold quickly joined in.

"Oh, shut it, you filthy beasts," Reaver said in an almost bored tone. Suddenly they were all writhing on the floor, whimpering in pain. "Keep defying me and I'll make sure you don't get your medicine."

Finally, they fell limp, panting, and a sadistic smirk spread over Reaver's face. "So, Mister Finn…Seeing as you are the one that's here uninvited, I brought my friend here to help you with a choice." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, not "help" exactly, but rather make it more **interesting**. For me at least."

"You see, we currently holds that what you want most. A chance for your queen to escape and a cure for your brother. Now, you can only choose one. If you allow her Majesty to escape, William here will continue to be my servant. If you choose to help your brother, we'll continue on our merry way to Bloodstone where her Majesty will sacrifice her youth, only retaining enough to stop this so-called Darkness. She'll also get the money she needs."

"And what of me?" Ben ground out through gritted teeth. He didn't no idea until that moment that it was possible to hate a person as much as he hated Reaver.

Reaver seemed positively delighted as his eyes lit up with what would probably be an even better way to derive pleasure from their current situation. "Oh, now that is an interesting question. Let's give you a third choice. I cure your brother and set your little Bells free, but you stay and sacrifice yourself to the Shadow Court. If you choose either of the previous two, you can go free as well."

Annabelle placed a hand on his arm. "Ben, help William. I changed my mind about the Shadow Court sacrifice last night, but if it means both your freedom, I'll do it." Her face was a mask of fierce determination. "I'll still have time to choose my successor and wrap up a few loose ends. You already lost him once."

"No, Annabelle. We talked about this last night. The kingdom needs you. I've already made peace with my fate. Take her and go, Ben," William argued.

_Annabelle or William…the choice is quite simple actually,_ he thought as he said a silent goodbye to both of them. "Take care of her, William," he whispered and a look of matching horror took over their expressions.

"Ben! No!" Annabelle cried fiercely, but he pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her head softly she repeatedly hit him on his chest. Finally, she stilled and he smiled into her hair.

"It's alright, sweetheart. We've had a good run," he whispered when they pulled apart. She looked absolutely devastated, but kept her tears in check. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"You can't do this, Ben! You promised that you'd survive!" William shouted.

"I guess that's another promise I'll have to break, William," he said with a wry smile. "But this way you'll get the life that was taken from you, Bells gets to rule the kingdom and this old scoundrel gets to see the Shadow Court for himself. Everybody wins."

"Including me. So, I take it you take option three?" Reaver chimed in.

Ben nodded in reply and Reaver turned towards the masked man. "You can wait to see that the cure works," he remarked and the man approached William, a frothing vial in his hands.

William stoically refused to take it and Reaver's hand flinched towards his cane, but before he could do anything, William leapt toward Reaver with inhuman speed and grabbed his walking stick. Reaver's jaw clenched tightly as if he was waiting for William to make his next move.

_What's the big deal? It's just a walking stick with a crystal…oh!_

"Give that back, Prime," Reaver said tightly.

"Let both of them go and I'll give it back," William bargained.

Reaver turned his attention to Annabelle and Ben. "Get out of here. There. Now give it back."

"Annabelle, Benny, I wouldn't want to be around for this if I were you. Go," William said, baring his now fang-like teeth.

"William, no!" Before Ben could stop him, William swung the walking the stick, shattering the glass bauble at the top.

The next events felt as if it was happening in slow motion. All of the beasts turned their attention to the humans in the room, their maws gaping open as they broke their cage doors open. William slowly and seemingly painfully changed into his beast form. Reaver's face changed to a mask of pure horror.

"You fool!" he shouted, but William wasn't listening anymore. Almost instantaneously, four of the creatures, including William pounced in the alchemist and the hooded man fell to the ground, screaming in agony as fangs and claws tore him apart. The cure smashed to the ground alongside him and with it, Ben felt his hope shatter as well. His chance to save his brother was gone.

_There has to be another way-_ His thoughts were interrupted when one of the creatures, William, turned to look at him.

"Go!" he barked. "Kill…you…too!"

Ben needed no more convincing than that. He grabbed Annabelle's hand and dragged her to the deck, where most of the crew were going insane. Some jumped ship and others merely cried uncontrollably. The mercenaries, strangely enough, were drawing their weapons as if readying for attack. Ben couldn't help but be impressed. Despite being sell-swords, they kept their word. They'd protect the ship to the end.

Despite everything going on, he wasn't leaving William. There still had to be a way to help him.

"Annabelle, get to that boat," he said sternly.

"They're uncontrollable, Ben. We…we need a way to kill them," she said finally. "If they reach land, they'll kill a lot of people before we can stop them."

He motioned to the other mercenaries. "We'll handle it. You need to get out of here."

Annabelle took his face in her hand and looked into his eyes intently. "I'm not leaving this ship without you. If you think that, you don't know me at all."

"Please, Bells. We don't know how strong they are-"

"I know you still think that you can save William, but he's lost now, Ben. I didn't want this either but he made this sacrifice knowing full well what would happen. Honour his last wish," she insisted. "Soon, he won't have a shred of humanity left. We have to kill him. Let him die on his terms."

"I can't. I can still save him and I can't let you die."

"We've had this conversation so many times now that it's starting to get repetitive. I'm not helpless, Ben." She kissed him softly on the lips. "And I'm staying right here."

"Alright," he sighed. "Let us get to it then."

The mercenary leader looked at them with a grim expression, his weathered face pulled into a permanent frown. "I guess this means you're staying. Since we'll be dying together, we might as well know each other's names. I'm James."

"Annabelle and Ben Finn," Ben replied curtly. "Do you have a plan?"

"Well, apart from staying alive, not really," he admitted.

Suddenly Ben remembered the gunpowder. "There are a lot of explosives below deck. If we can somehow ignite it, this whole boat will go up in flames."

"Going down there is suicide, boy." He seemed to consider it for a moment. "But it would work."

"I'll do it. A Hero can handle it," Annabelle volunteered.

"My idea, my suicide run," Ben argued. "I can make it out in time." This time Annabelle didn't even argue with him. Which was either a very good or a very bad thing.

_Maybe the alchemist had more of the cure on him,_ Ben thought.

"You're braver or stupider than most, Ben Finn, but alright. Let's wait for a few of them to come up here at least."

They waited in terse silent until one of the creature's maws finally popped up from the stairwell. One of the other mercenaries quickly killed it with his rifle, but soon more came pouring out.

"Go, Ben! When you've set the fuse, holler as loud as you can!" James yelled and Ben signed off a swift salute before making his way to the stairwell. There were still plenty more popping up from below deck and Ben wasted no time taking a few out with his rifle.

When he reached the hold, it was completely empty. It had been too much to hope that Reaver's corpse would be there, but Ben was still disappointed to see that the deviant was still alive.

Ben quickly searched through the man's pockets, but didn't find any more vials. "Damn! Maybe-" A loud growl interrupted. He turned to face one of the creature, it's maw dripping with blood.

"Nice demon thing," he murmured, readying his rifle. The creature lunged and Ben squeezed the trigger, but for the second time in its lifetime, his usually faithful rifle jammed. Uttering a loud curse, he used the rifle as a club to knock the Half-breed aside. It was still stirring, which wasn't entirely good, but then, thankfully, it went limp.

A cry of loud, pained screams sounded from above. "And that's my signal to hurry." He lugged the barrels around the hold until there was a huge pile in the middle. "Sufficient fireworks, I'd say."

Just as he was about the light the fuse, another one of the beasts approached him. Ben recognized him at once and almost screamed at the futility of the situation. He'd failed yet another one of his loved ones. William opened his jaw and choked out a few words.

"Annabelle…told me plan…Not you…Benny…Let…Let me…do it…Let…me save you…"

"William, I'm sorry," Ben whispered. "I tried."

"I know…I…I'll die…happy…Benny…Go."

Ben handed the flint to his brother, silently saying good bye for the last time and made his way to the upper deck. "Fire in the hole!" he shouted loudly and all of the mercenaries immediately ran for the railings. In the chaos he struggled to find Annabelle.

"Did he find you?" she asked from behind. She was covered with the creatures' blood and a few scratched, but seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Yeah, let's go."

Annabelle suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes fixed on something. "Ben…I think it's too late."

"It's not-" His gaze followed hers and he felt his heart drop when he saw the creature who was clearly his brother approaching them, his fangs bared and flint in hand. "No…William!"

The monster was clearly no longer his brother. It continued its approach, licking its lips. More of the creatures also closed in around them.

"We need to light that fuse. Now!" Ben cried. Both of them made a break for the stairwell, killing as many of the beasts along the way as possible. The pile of explosives was still untouched.

"Damn it! I don't have my flint anymore!" Ben swore loudly and kicked one of the barrels. "What do we do now?"

"Too bad we don't have a will user in our midst," Annabelle said sarcastically. "Luckily, I'm quite partial to my fire gauntlet."

"Then light that fuse and-" Ben's words died on his lips as something hard crashed into him, pinning him to the ground. He looked up in fright at his brother's monstrous face. _And so the last Finn dies…By the hand of his own long-lost brother,_ he thought morbidly as he waited for the creature's maw to behead him.

Suddenly, William leapt off of him with a yelp, his tufts of fur now ignited as he sprinted away. Annabelle charged another attack, but she was caught off guard by the other Half-breed that he thought dead before. It tackled her to the ground, its claws digging into her skin.

A strangled cry of pain sounded in Annabelle's throat as the monster suddenly clamped down on her leg, its claws now digging into her torso.

"Ben!" she cried in anguish, arching her back in pain as it bit down again. "Please!"

Ben remained frozen. He felt useless. He never froze, but the possible of hitting Annabelle scared him. _You can hit any damn target you want to, Ben,_ he chastised himself.

All of the sudden, another body crashed into the beast on top of Annabelle, sending it sprawling. William grappled with the other Half-breed and overpowered it, ripping out its throat.

He turned to face Ben, completely still. Something glinted in his eyes…It almost looked like acceptance.

Taking a deep breath, he fired. The monster slumped down, a seeming smile on its face. As quickly as he could he rushed to his brother's body, pocketed his ring and returned to Annabelle to carefully pick her up. She winced visibly at any jolt of her leg and he could bear to look at what damage occurred there.

"Can you still manage a flame?" he asked.

"Yes…" Her voice was painfully strained. "Just…" The flame flickered pitifully compared to her previous display, but it was enough to ignite the fuse.

After making sure that the fuse was now ignited, he sprinted out of there was quickly as possible. The fuse gave them maybe three minutes to get out of there and Ben could feel every second ticking away.

Mercifully, there was still one long boat left. Ben quickly put Annabelle down in it and climbed in, lowering it as fast as he could. The remaining creatures were approaching them, most likely attracted to the stream of blood gushing out of Annabelle's leg.

Ben had never felt more relieved than when the boat finally settled on the water. Somehow, he mustered enough strength to grab the oars and get them as far away from the doomed ship as possible. They'd barely made it a safe distance when the ship went up in a brilliant fireball. The shockwave rocked their boat violently, but they didn't capsize, at least.

Then everything was quiet. No gunfire, no cracking jaws or howls. Just the sound of the waves, the seagulls above them and both of their ragged breathing.

He turned his attention back to the brunette panting next to him. "There has to be some medical supplies somewhere…" he muttered as he rummaged under the benches but apart from some food, he came up empty-handed.

Her hand was clamped over the wound and he could see that it was bleeding less profusely than before. However, Hero-healing or no, they needed to bind that wound.

"Here." He ripped off a piece of his shirt and used it as a makeshift bandage. "Better?" he asked when he was done.

She managed a nod, but her face was still startling pale. "Thank you," she whispered, not meeting his eyes. He could see that she was fighting back tears. "I'm so sorry, Ben."

"So am I…"

Every ounce of strength disappeared all at once when the realisation that he'd _just killed his own brother_ enveloped him.

He couldn't keep himself together anymore and he started to shiver uncontrollably. Annabelle immediately crawled over to him, despite her mangled leg and wrapped her arms around him, this time comforting him for a change.

For the first time in years, Ben Finn broke down and wept.

oOoOoOo

_AN: Those of you who read Blood Ties must have had an idea that __**something**__ like this was coming._

_Please, tell me what you think!_


	36. Chapter 36

_AN: Sorry I took so long to update. Unfortunately for me, summer vacation's over and I've been busy packing to go back to university. _

_Thank you all for the reviews, story alerts and favourites! I appreciate each and every one of them!_

_Chapter 36_

They continued to drift aimlessly while Ben sobbed into Annabelle's shoulder. From the way that she was trembling, it was a pretty safe bet that she was crying as well. Suddenly, he felt a sense of misplaced male pride and a surge of embarrassment for crying in her presence.

"We should reach the mainland later today if we hurry," Ben declared as he stubbornly scrubbed the evidence of his tears away and detangled himself from her arms, all the way avoiding her gaze. "You should eat something…That bloodloss-"

"Ben, don't do this," she whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. "Look at me."

He pointedly ignored her touch. "From the sun's position-"

"Stop acting like it's wrong to feel something!" she cried, cupping his chin to force him to look at her. "Stop acting so damned proud! You're allowed to cry over the death of your brother! In fact, I'd be damned worried if you didn't feel anything!"

"It's not that I don't feel anything! It's that there's absolutely nothing I can do about it!" He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Bells…It's…I found him after so long and now…I killed him…I killed my own brother…"

"William was gone, Ben," she said gently. "It's what he would have wanted."

"He didn't deserve that…He didn't deserve to be turned into that…thing!" He dropped his head into his hands and he felt Annabelle placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Why not me?," he whispered. "Why did William have to suffer for his whole life, while I got to live?" He looked at her, his expression dark. "I've done so many bad things…I've killed, I've robbed men blind, I've committed adultery…Why do I get to live and he doesn't?"

"Ben…"

He went on undeterred. "I got to meet you…You have the purest heart out of anyone I've ever met. You would have given up your life so that others could live…And yet, for some inexplicable reason, you fell in love with me. **Me**…A man that merely saw you as a woman that would be a challenge to get into bed when I first met you."

"Precisely." He looked at her in shock. "Precisely," she said again, her eyes burning with fierce emotion. "**When you first met me.** I fell in love with you because you proved that you were more than that. And I know that you didn't fall in love with the girl that I was back then. We both got to know who the other person really is."

A small smile played on her lips. "I thought that you were the most arrogant and rudest man I'd ever met. But like I told you before, I now know that despite all those things you did, you are a **good man**. You've saved my life on many occasions and William hadn't destroyed Reaver's control stone, you would have died so that he and I could live. I know that William saw that in you as well and if you were in his situation, wouldn't you have wanted him to grant you the same mercy?" She kissed him softly on his lips. "I wish I could make you see the man I see when I look at you," she whispered, resting her forehead against his.

"A misguided bastard?" he said dryly, smirking slightly.

She kissed him again. "I'd rather go for overconfident buffoon, but that works as well," she said, rolling her eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did you talk about when you were in the dungeon?" he asked suddenly as he picked up the oars to start rowing to safety. "You and William I mean."

"The first thing he said to me was that I had to trust that he meant me no harm." A small smile played on her lips. "Now that I think of it, you were so alike. The first sign was when he commented on my unwillingness to cooperate while being kidnapped, claiming that the men at the castle must have loved me like that."

Ben couldn't help but smile in memory. "That sounds like him."

"He was so happy to hear that you were alive, but he begged me not to tell you what had happened to him. He knew that you'd try to save him if you found out." Her fingers absentmindedly toyed with the pendant she still wore around her neck. "He also said that you must really love me to have given me this." She seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. "I still couldn't understand why he wanted to help me so badly."

"We Finn men have always had a predisposed weakness for beautiful women who happened to be in distress," Ben replied. "William was also a good man."

She gripped his hand tightly. "I know he was. I wish I could have gotten to know him better…"

"I wish so as well…" He quickly shut out the dark thoughts that threatened to consume him. There was no point in dwelling on what could have been. He was still upset. He'd probably always be, but he'd work through it on his own, later. _When I get back, I'm sure as hell going to the pub._ "Thank you, Bells," he said sincerely. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You would have been a lot better off, believe me," she laughed. "Even I'm starting to think that I'm more trouble than I'm worth."

"Never." He flashed her his most charming smirk. "Now let's get you home."

oOoOoOo

"Anna! Thank the Light you are unharmed!" Walter pulled Annabelle into a tight embrace that lifted her off her feet.

"Walter!" she gasped. "I can't…breathe!"

"Sorry." He put her down and finally released his vice-like grip on her.

"If you are done crushing her, can I greet my sister now, Walter?" Logan asked, a small smile on his thin lips.

"Logan!" she cried, pulling him into a tight hug. Logan stood dead still for a moment, probably shocked by her passionate display, but then wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

"I'm glad you are well, Anna. I was prepared to send the whole of the guard to find you."

"Ben did just fine on his own," she said, shooting a glance to where the blond general was leaning against her desk. He returned the look a wink before his expression turned serious.

"It was Reaver that took her," he said, gritting his teeth.

Logan's hands dropped to his sides and balled them into fists. "What I don't understand is why. Surely, he would have realised that taking the bloody queen was completely idiotic," he said coldly.

"He wanted to sacrifice my youth to the Shadow Court to retain his immortality. Apparently, the ritual is much more powerful if a Hero is the sacrifice," Annabelle admitted and sank down into one of the couches. Suddenly she felt bone tired and she realised that she hadn't eaten more than a piece of dried meat or slept more than a few hours in the last two days.

"Why would you…Why would he think that you wouldn't try to escape?" Walter asked, deep frown lines etched into his face.

"Because he offered me all the money we need to protect the kingdom," she admitted. "And he threatened to take the sacrifice from one of you if I refused."

"I'll tell the guards to look for him and arrest him at once. This will be the last time Reaver tries something like this," Logan declared and swept out of the room.

After he left, Walter studied her intently. "You need to go to bed, Anna. You look dreadful."

"Why thank you, Walter," she managed, struggling to keep her eyes open. Her leg still throbbed intently and she wanted nothing more than to soak it in hot bath.

"I'll send the maids up to draw you a bath. Ben, let us leave her alone." Walter turned on his heel, but stopped when he realised that Ben wasn't following. "Ben, come on."

"I'm staying, Wally. The last time I left her alone, she got snatched in the middle of the night," Ben argued.

"There is no way I'm letting you spend the night in an unwed woman's bedchambers, Ben Finn!" Walter roared, turning bright red.

"I promise that I'm not going to sleep with her. I know that I'm still on probation," Ben said in an almost bored voice.

Walter was unconvinced. "Ben. Out. Now!"

Ben rolled his eyes and signed off a mocking salute. "Yes, sir. Can I at least kiss her goodnight?" he asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Fine!"

"Goodnight, your Majesty," he said, pointedly raising his voice and he kissed her cheek. "Leave your window open. I'd hate to climb all the way up only to find it locked," he whispered so that only she could hear.

"Goodnight, General," she replied equally formal. She couldn't help but smile when he winked and followed Walter out of the door.

As she waited for the maids to fill the bath, she hesitantly removed the now bloodied piece of cloth around her thigh. She couldn't help but wince when she saw the scar that the Half-breed had left on her leg. She had been lucky that it didn't tear off the chunk of flesh entirely.

She could only imagine how it would have felt if she didn't heal as quickly as she did.

After the bath, she felt a hundred times better and when she finished donning a clean nightgown, she gladly fell onto the soft bed. "Don't wake me up until next year at least," she muttered to no one in particular.

"Sorry, Sleeping Beauty, but we still need you to fight that little problem in a few months," Ben's voice sounded from her window.

"It didn't take you very long to get up here," she remarked, sitting upright.

He chuckled before sitting down next to her. "It's just a tower that I need to climb. How's your leg?"

"Better." She tried to stifle yawn, but failed miserably and Ben laughed out loud.

"Very well, I can take a hint. Go to sleep, sweetheart."

She sank down gratefully and settled into his embrace. She fell asleep almost the moment her head hit the pillow.

oOoOoOo

"Bring Reaver in!" Walter announced loudly. Annabelle fixed her face in a stony mask as she waited for Reaver to enter the throne room.

"I can walk myself, thank you very much!" Reaver swept into the room as if he owned it and fell into a deep bow at the throne. "Your Majesty! So good to see you again," he declared, an annoying smirk plastered on his face.

"Master Reaver. Do you know why you are here today?" she asked, her voice echoing throughout the stone room.

"I won't pretend to know, Majesty," he replied, still smirking.

She had to bite her cheek to stop herself from saying something inappropriate as she waited for Walter to read the charges.

"Master Reaver, you are hereby on trial for the kidnapping and assault of the queen, as well as the illegal experimentation on the citizens of Albion. What say you against these charges?" Walter asked

"This is atrocious!" Annabelle had to admit that Reaver was an excellent actor. That, or he clearly believed that he was innocent. "Where do you come off accusing me of such things?"

"Master Reaver, do you honestly insist on going against my own word?" she asked tightly. "These are crimes committed against myself!"

"And what of this claim of "experimentation?", my Lady?" Do you insist on going on only your word as well? You have no proof that I did any experiments," Reaver declared haughtily.

"This is not my word alone, Master Reaver. This is also on the word of General Benjamin Finn, as well as the now deceased William Finn. Deceased, because he died one of your experiments," she declared icily, her eyes narrowed in anger. A loud gasp sounded throughout the room.

"Order! Order!" Walter called.

"My lady, we all know that General Finn has been performing certain…_favours_…for your Majesty. Forgive me if I do not trust his word," Reaver sneered.

She felt a hot blush creep up her neck as the whispering voices increased in volume and several looks of disbelief were thrown in her direction. As embarrassed as she was that they found out about their affair, somehow, she didn't care anymore. On the other hand, Annabelle was glad that she'd convinced Ben not to attend the trial since he would probably have killed Reaver by now.

"The nature of my relationship with General Finn is none of your concern, Master Reaver," she ground out. "All that matters is that I trust his word. Besides, this is my ruling and what and who **you** find trustworthy is none of my concern!"

"I'm just wondering if you are truly being fair…your Majesty." She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face so badly. "But it seems you've already made your decision…What will it be? Will I be sentenced to death?"

"That would be too simple, wouldn't it?" She smiled sweetly at him. "Reaver, you are hereby banished from Albion and all of your assets will be sold and donated to the poor in Bowerstone that you exploited. If you ever set foot on Albion soil again, you will be killed on sight."

She saw his eyes widen slightly. "Your Majesty-"

"My word is final. Guards, take this man to the first boarding ship."

"You will regret this, **Annabelle**. Maybe not today or tomorrow…but one day, you will regret it," he hissed as the guards dragged him out of the room.

"You are adjourned," she announced as she swept out of the room. She didn't doubt that Reaver would be back, but at least this gave her time to prepare. She so wanted to kill him, but he was still the only other Hero beside her. She didn't know if she'd need his help in the future.

_Of course, it will be difficult to convince him to help me after today, but that is not a problem right at this moment._

She couldn't help but smile in satisfaction at her small victory.

oOoOoOo

"Logan? Can I speak to you?" Ben asked carefully as he knocked on the door of the room that Logan was using as a temporary study.

Logan looked up from the account ledger that he was studying at Ben surprise. The surprise, however, quickly changed to confusion. "What is it, Mister Finn?"

"Please, call me Ben," he said as he walked inside. "Can I sit down?"

Logan tilted his head in an empty chair's direction and Ben sat down. "What can I help you with, Ben?" he asked, his voice as cold as steel.

"It concerns Annabelle. It sounds silly, but I promised myself that if I found her, I'd…try to make amends," he said vaguely. "Clear the air between us if you will."

"Oh?" Logan raised a dark eyebrow. "Why is this sudden change, Ben?"

"I…lost someone recently and it reminded me exactly how much she means to me. I love her, Logan and I now know how much she means to you and you to her." His gaze turned hard. "Don't misunderstand, I'll never forget what you did to Swiftie…but I am prepared to put it behind us. For her sake."

His thin lips quirked in what could be called a smile. "From what I know about you, Ben, you are not one to easily concede a battle. I'm…startled to say the least, but I appreciate it."

"There is also something else that I wanted to ask you. Do you mind if Walter joins us?"

Logan nodded his head and Ben quickly called him to come in.

"What is this about, Ben? We all have things to do before next week," Walter said, clearly irritated.

"I'll be quick. You are Annabelle's only male relative," he said to Logan before turning to Walter. "And you are like her father." Ben took a deep breath to steady his resolve. "I want to ask her hand in marriage," he rushed out.

The former monarch looked startled to say the least and Walter turned bright red.

"Ben, I said that I'd tolerate this infatuation you've developed, but to speak about marriage? That is preposterous!" Walter thundered. "I will not accept this!"

Ben decided to quickly interrupt him before he went off the rails again. "I know that I'm not the type of person that a queen is supposed to marry, or any woman for that matter and I know that there are hundreds of men who are more suitable for her, but I love her. I don't know where I'd be if not for her. And I know that I can at least try to make her happy. I-"

"You can stop, Ben. You've shown me by rushing off and risking your own life to save her that you love her and want to protect her. If you want to ask her, you have my permission," Logan interjected.

Walter turned an even deeper shade of red. "Logan! He is a-"

"Perfectly loyal, trustworthy and honourable man by my standards," Logan finished for him. "I don't see any reason why he can't marry my sister."

Walter continued to splutter loudly and Logan merely quirked an eyebrow in his direction. "Or what do you say, Walter? By this point you know that anything you say will simply be a formality seeing as the decision to give permission is mine alone. The General is probably only asking you as a gesture of goodwill towards you."

"Fine," Walter huffed loudly. "But you will wait at least two years!"

"Agreed." Ben couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"I need to…I need to go plan something." Walter left with a loud sigh.

"Don't mind Walter. He'll come around eventually." Logan had turned his attention back to the ledger in front of him. "He's just upset at the possibility that he won't be the one that Annabelle will go to when she has a problem. Or it could be the fact that he's losing her to another man."

"I bloody well hope that you're right. It would be mighty uncomfortable being around him if he's going to grumble every time I see him."

Logan smiled slightly, not lifting his eyes from the book. "That, unfortunately for you, General, is never going to go away."

oOoOoOo

The night before the Crawler would attack, Ben made his way to Annabelle's room. He didn't want her to be alone, especially considering the amount of stress she'd been under.

To his confusion, however, he couldn't find her in her room.

_There is only one place she'd be on a night like tonight,_ he realised.

Sure enough, when he approached the tomb of the old Hero king, he could hear a voice talking quietly.

"Please, Father…Help me to be strong enough to overcome the challenge laid before me. Help me to be strong enough to protect those I love…I know you said that you'd always be with me, but I'm scared. I'm so scared about tomorrow," he heard Annabelle admit and he felt his heart break. He so wanted to take all of her problems away, but he couldn't.

He heard a sharp intake of breath as if she was struggling not to cry. "What if I fail?" she whispered.

"I wish you were here, Daddy…But I know that I need to do this on my own. I need to prove to myself that I can be the Hero Albion needs." From the way that her voice trembled, it was clear that she was now crying openly.

"I hope you're proud of me…"

He couldn't leave her alone like this. "Of course he is," he declared quietly and despite the low volume of his voice, it echoed disconcertingly in the tomb. Annabelle looked at him surprise. She was sitting on the ground next to her father's tomb, streaks of tears running down her cheeks.

He closed the distance between himself and the distraught queen and knelt down next to her. "Don't you dare doubt that he is anything less than proud of you."

"Ben." She scrubbed away the remains of her tears. "I…You're not supposed to see me like this."

He took both her hands in his. "Stop doubting yourself, sweetheart. You'll do amazing tomorrow."

"What if I fail?" she asked in a tiny voice. "We could very well die tomorrow.

"You won't," he insisted. "**We** won't. Wally, Logan and I won't allow you to. And I don't know about Logan, but Walter and I are too stubborn to die."

"Don't leave me tonight…please," she whispered almost pleadingly. "Make me forget…just for one night."

Without saying anything more, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him in a desperate, forceful kiss. She clamped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as she possibly could.

Somehow they made it up to her room without being seen. Hands fumbled to remove pieces of clothing. Each touch was frantic as they memorised every detail of each other's bodies. With every kiss and every caress they tried to convey what they couldn't with words.

For the moment, they were the only two people in the world.

"I'm so scared," she whispered, still shaking uncontrollably as she laid cradled in his arms.

"You've faced it before, Bells," he insisted, but she shook her head forcefully.

"Not about the Crawler…About losing you…any of you."

He held her even tighter against him. "Nothing scares me more than the possibility of losing you, too," he admitted, equally quiet.

He felt her hot tears against her chest. "I never told you what scared me about my nightmares…Why I couldn't look at you…" He almost couldn't bear to hear what she'd say next. "Almost every night for the last year, I saw you die in my arms…I try to stop the bleeding, but there's so much blood…You ask me…You ask me why I left you…" Her sobs drown out the rest of her words.

"I won't die, Bells," he said fiercely, pulling away slightly and tilting her chin so that she looked at him. "I promise you that both of us are going to make it." He smiled encouragingly. "I have something to ask you when all of this is over."

She looked at him with a questioning expression. "What-"

He silenced her with a kiss. "You'll have to come back to me to find out," he breathed against her lips.

_I'm not going to let the Darkness get you, sweetheart,_ he vowed silently. _Nor anyone else_.

oOoOoOo

_AN: I just wanted to wrap up all the loose ends before the Crawler attack._

_Please, tell me what you think! _


	37. Chapter 37

_AN: Once again, sorry for the long wait. First week back at uni and I'm already feeling as if I didn't even have a vacation._

_Thank you all so very much for all the reviews, favourites and alerts. I truly appreciate every one of them!_

_Spoilers for end of the game. I do not own Fable or the characters._

_Chapter 37_

"The Crawler has reached the coast, my Queen. We've already gotten report that it has attacked the Silverpines settlement." The lieutenant in front of her looked as if he was trying to maintain a steady front, but she could hear the tremble in his voice. "We should-"

He was cut off by the door bursting open. "It's here!" Ben panted, his eyes shining with thinly veiled fear. "It's in Bowerstone…The men…They're holding…But it won't be for much longer…We have to get out on the streets. Now!"

"This is it," Walter said, taking a deep, steeling breath. "Today we fight! For Albion!"

"For Albion!" the other's yelled in unison.

"Let us not waste more time. It's time for this thing to crawl back into the hole from which it came!" Annabelle grabbed her sword and headed to the door, Knight, Ben, Logan and Walter on her heels. _You already lived this, _she told herself._ You've had the nightmares but you got through them. You need to be strong now._

What met her outside, however, put all of her nightmares to shame.

Despite it being mid-morning, it was almost completely dark. Crackling fires all around illuminated the sky and pools of darkness covered every possible surface. The Children had killed a lot of the soldiers and she could see the bodies of some civilians as well.

A surge of anger ran up her spine at the broken body of a young girl. _It's time to end this!_

She built up a storm of fire and flung it at the nearest group of emerging Children. The force of the attack incinerated almost all of them at once and she allowed herself a small smile. The Crawler wanted a fight, so it was going to get one.

They slowly made their way through the streets while the Crawler continued to roar in the background.

"_**The light you bring will die. The light inside you will die. All that you are will die!"**_

"_**You can never escape darkness, it flocks to you always!"**_

"_**You have done terrible things. Did you think I wouldn't know?...Did you think I would allow it?"**_

"Don't listen to it!" Walter yelled. "Don't let it get to you!" Annabelle could only guess that he was doing this to keep his own morale from dropping. She could see that Ben froze for a moment when the Crawler yelled about doing terrible things, but he quickly shook it off. When they had the tiniest pause to breathe, she shot him an encouraging smile, which he returned with a tight one of his own.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of screeching metal. Sure enough, when she turned around one of the giant golden statues that she'd faced in the cave was staring right at them. Before it could act, she lunged into the air and charged a flourish, plunging her blade straight into its chest.

When she landed neatly on the ground, everyone around her was staring at her.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You have…wings," Logan managed, actually looking confused for once.

"Great, bloody wings!" A genuine smirk spread over Ben's face. "Let's see that bloody blob try to stop us now!"

A smile spread over her own lips. "Right. Logan, Page, go to the market. See if there are any survivors. Ben, Walter, with me."

The deeper that they went into the city, the more illusions were thrown over their path. Strangely enough, the visions were growing more and more absurd, as if the Crawler was getting more desperate.

"Is it just me or is this thing getting scared?" Walter cried as he brought down another one of the children.

"I think it's almost over!" Ben called in reply.

Annabelle rushed through one of the archways only to find an empty courtyard. "This can't be right…The whole of Bowerstone is supposed to be overrun. What…?"

Walter came to a stop behind her. "Why isn't there anything here?"

"Annabelle! Walter! Behind you!" Ben cried. She turned around just in time to see the horrible face of the Crawler behind Walter.

"Look out!" Just as the words slipped past her lips, Walter faced the creature and his eyes went wide with fright. The Crawler's mouth tilted into an evil smirk before it forced itself down Walter's throat

Walter's eyes almost bulged out of his head and his jaw seemingly unhinged as he gagged against the monster's progress.

Annabelle could do nothing but stare in horror as Walter's face morphed into something very sinister. In the background, she could hear Ben yelling and pounding on the barrier that had formed in the archway.

"Walter?" she asked hesitantly and she took an involuntary step back.

Walter turned his dark gaze to her, an uncharacteristically sinister smirk splitting over his face. Without saying another word, Walter lunged towards her, his sword sweeping in a deadly arch.

She managed to get her sword up to block the blow just in time, but the force that he put behind it knocked her to the ground. He struck again and once again, she barely managed to stop the blade from connecting with her skin.

"_**Are you going to make this easy on me, Little Queen?**_" the voice of the Crawler said, its monstrous voice mingling with Walter's

She rolled to the side to dodge his next blow and sprung up to her feet, her sword at the ready. Yet, she still couldn't bring herself to attack Walter.

"Anna, help me! Strike me down!" Walter's cried suddenly, his voice and expression now back to normal.

Then his expression turned twisted again. **"**_**Wasn't I your father figure? Didn't I teach you everything you know?**__"_ the Crawler's voice mingled with Walter's hissed as Walter steadily advanced. His current fighting was so different from his usual, elegant style that she had to concentrate on not getting hit.

"Make it end, Anna!" Walter's voice cried again. "Help me!"

Despite every bit of apprehension she was feeling at the idea of attacking Walter, she somehow found the courage to strike at him.

"_**Don't fight back, my child. I have cared for you, I have taught you, I have made you**__!"_ Walter said, easily blocking her attack. She took a deep breath and struck again, knowing full well that if she didn't stop the Crawler here, Albion would be destroyed in its entirety.

_Walter wouldn't want this,_ she told herself. _Walter would have wanted me to fight him with everything I have!_

It was easily the most difficult battle of her life and she had to keep all her wits about her to stop herself from being killed. All the while, the Crawler continued to mock and discourage her. Still, despite all of this, she knew that she had to help Walter. He didn't deserve this fate.

She was so filled with adrenaline that it wasn't until the Crawler gave one final, anguished cry and Walter fell to the ground that she realised the gravity of the situation. All at once, it was as if she couldn't feel anything anymore. It was exactly like her nightmare. Walter was lying on the cobbled ground, blood seeping through his usually immaculate clothes, his face deathly pale as he breathed heavily.

Her sword clattered to the ground as if her fingers were simply unable to hold on to it anymore. "Walter," she whispered, kneeling on the ground to cradle his head in her lap. "Walter, I'm so sorry."

"You took away the Darkness…It's been inside me all this time." The tiniest of smiles quirked at his lips. "But it's light now. I can see the sky…and it's light." He took a strangled breath. "I don't think I can fight anymore."

"You don't have to, Walter. It's all over…We won," she said, forcing a smile and at the same time tried to keep herself from crying. "We beat it together."

He coughed violently and drops of blood splattered over his doublet. "Do you...remember those stories I'd told you when you were…a child? There was a great king once…the mightiest hero of them all…Remember what you would say?"

She was unable to hold them back any longer and the tears were now freely streaming over her face, mixing with the rain that was steadily falling down. "Teach me to be a Hero," she choked out.

"I think…I managed, don't you?"

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head slightly so that she could see Ben kneeling next to her, his face equally anguished.

"You did wonderfully, Walter…The best teacher I could ever have," she whispered, biting back another sob.

Walter turned his unfocussed gaze to Ben. "I…I think two…years are a bit…too long…after all…you old bugger…"

"I think so too, Wally," Ben managed with a forced grin and his hand tightened on her shoulder.

"You've done me proud, Anna…You've always…done me proud…" he breathed, his eyes fluttering close one final time.

Silent tears continued to stream over her cheeks. "Oh, Walter…."

Annabelle held his body close to her as her tears increased in volume. _He's dead…He's dead!_ Ben wrapped his arm around her quaking shoulders, but she was barely aware of his presence, just like she was unaware of the torrential downpour and the cheers of the people in the street as the darkness receded.

Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Not only hadn't she saved Walter, there were so many other lifeless bodies littering the street.

She'd failed.

"I'm sorry, Bells," Ben said after a long time of silence. "I'm so sorry…"

"He's gone…I killed him. I killed them," she muttered over and over and she allowed Ben to pull her into a tight embrace. She scarcely noticed Logan and the others approaching Walter's now still body and she couldn't care less if anyone saw her in that state. To hell with what the rest of Albion thought of the weeping queen.

_I killed him…_

oOoOoOo

"Do you still think about William?" Annabelle asked softly. It was a few days after the attack and they were standing on the balcony outside her room watching as the artists started to work on the block of marble that would eventually be a giant statue of Walter. In the distance, the clean-up of Bowerstone was well underway. The final death count hadn't been established yet, but it was at least in the tens of thousands.

Ben had an idea why she was asking and considered lying, but that would be even worse than telling her that he still blamed himself for his brother's death.

"Every day," Ben sighed and leaned on the banister. "I'm not wallowing, he'd hate that, but I can't forgive myself just yet."

She looked at the ground. "Does…Does it get much better? Or do you think you'll always feel angry at yourself for delivering the killing blow?" He could see that she was hurting immensely and wanted nothing more than to help her, but he didn't know how.

While taking a deep breath, he placed his hand over hers on the stone banister. "It gets better bit by bit. What I'm feeling now is nothing compared to what I felt months ago. I'll forgive myself eventually." He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. "He'd want me to."

"What…what if I can't?"

There was no point in trying to act that the conversation was about William any longer.

"Then everything he left as his legacy…Everything he put into you was a waste. Walter poured every ounce of energy he had in making you the ruler and Hero that Albion needed, without it being necessary for him to help you…He wouldn't want you to blame yourself forever."

From the way that she was biting her lip, it was clear that she was trying to stop herself from crying and he pulled her close against him, stroking her hair. She hadn't cried in front of him since Walter's death, probably to make herself look strong, but it couldn't be healthy for her to keep everything bottled inside.

"If you want to cry, go ahead," he whispered. "I won't think any less of you, I promise."

She struggled for a moment more before she finally relinquished her hold on her emotions.

"I'm sorry," she whispered over and over and he couldn't discern if she was apologising to him, Walter or everyone else that she felt like she failed.

oOoOoOo

_I rarely cry while playing videogames, but the ending of this game is so damn sad that I couldn't help myself. I hope I did it justice._

_I know it's short, but I wanted to split this and the epilogue. I'll try to upload the epilogue tomorrow or Monday._

_Please, tell me what you think!_


	38. Chapter 38

_AN: And here we are. The end of my little (or not so little) fic. Thank you to every one of you that ever read, reviewed, favourite or had an alert to this story. When I started out, I couldn't have dreamt that I would get such a response (More than 150 reviews? You all freaking are amazing!)_

_And, without further ado…_

_Epilogue_

"Well, it's time for me to say goodbye, Anna," Logan said as they stood on the docks of Bowerstone a few months after the attack of the Crawler. "Like I said before, Albion will heal better if I'm not here."

Annabelle wiped away a stray tear and shot him a sad smile. "Are you sure you don't want to stay? I'll miss you," she said.

"I'll miss you too, but I'll come for a visit soon, I promise." He kissed her in her forehead and gave her a quick hug. "Take care of yourself, please? I'd hate to come back and see someone else on the throne."

"You don't have to worry about that. Travel safe, Logan."

They said goodbye once more before he boarded the ship that would take him to Samarkand. She could see that he was very excited about the prospect of starting over and she couldn't blame him, despite her own misgivings about saying goodbye. He deserved a fresh start.

As she watched his ship sail off into the horizon, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. Walter was dead and her brother was leaving as well. Her family was gone.

_Yet, you're not alone, are you?_ she reminded herself. She had a new family now. Jasper has finally left the sanctuary to replace Hobson and Ben had insisted that the kingdom wasn't on its feet yet, which meant that their agreement of him staying on as general was still in effect. Page had also started to drop by more often and not only to ask royal favours. Kalin had returned to Aurora but insisted that she come visit whenever she got the chance. Even Sabine and Boulder had asked her to come stay in the castle in Mistpeak.

_Yes…I'm not alone at all. _Feeling much better than she did that morning, she headed back to the castle.

oOoOoOo

"You know, I find this entire idea about erecting a statue rather…silly actually," Annabelle commented suddenly. They were standing on her balcony again and admiring the now finished statue of Walter. They rest of Bowerstone was also almost fully repaired and things were getting back to normal.

Ben looked at Annabelle in surprise. In the two months since the Crawler had been defeated, she had pointedly avoided talking about Walter or anything involving him ever since their initial talk.

"And why's that?"

The corner of her mouth quirked upward. "I can only think what he'd have said if he saw this…He'd probably grumble about the colossal waste of money and say that would merely be a place for the pigeons to desecrate."

"But why do you find it silly?" he asked carefully.

She turned to look at him, a curious expression on her face. "I just don't know whether Walter…would have liked it," she said finally.

"Honestly? I think he would have. He always was a fan of looking…tall…and stony." It was rare enough for her to be talkative these days, so he decided to risk a joke. "I can only imagine what he would he would have said if he was here now. Shut up, Ben."

The quirk of her lips turned into a real smile, the first one in weeks. "I think you are more spot on than I was, actually."

They continued to stand in companionable silence before she spoke again. "What did he mean…when he said that two years was too long after all?"

He'd hoped that she'd forgotten about that. Ben fingered the box that he'd taken to carrying in his pocket ever since he'd asked Logan and Walter for Annabelle's hand in marriage. He'd planned on asking her after the Crawler attack, but with Walter dying along with sixty-four thousand other people and the entire of Bowerstone almost being destroyed, there had never been a right time. Also, Annabelle had been rather reclusive and quiet the past few months. It was clear that she was blaming herself for those people's deaths, as well as Walter's, even though the rest of the kingdom didn't blame her. In reality, they were singing her praises on every street corner and calling her the greatest queen that Albion had ever had.

"Oh…it was nothing. Just something that we'd talked about before," Ben said vaguely.

"Really? Walter spent his dying moments speaking to you about something that doesn't matter?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

It wasn't that he changed his mind or anything…he just didn't want to ask her right then and there. He wanted to wait for the perfect moment.

_But is there ever going to be something like that? _a tiny voice asked in the back of his mind. The point was asking her. It wasn't about where or when it's done.

"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked finally.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know," she countered, crossing her arms.

He quickly took in his surroundings. The sun was just starting to set and the first flowers of spring were starting to bloom. That was pretty perfect for a spur of the moment proposing.

"You asked for this," he muttered before dropping to one knee. Her eyes widened considerably and he could see the disbelief in her eyes.

Ignoring the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, he took her hand in his and he pulled out the box with his other hand.

"Bells, I know I can spend years writing exactly what I want to say, but words can't even begin to describe how I feel about you." He took another deep breath. "This is going to sound extremely cheesy, but I thank every mistake I ever made, because they led me to you. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

_This is that damn rooftop in Aurora all over again_, he thought dryly. He opened the box and looked her right in the eye. "Will you marry me?"

oOoOoOo

_Some time later_

"Madeleine! You're late for your lesson!" Annabelle placed her hands on her hips and stared out into the blinding sunlight. She could barely make out three figures out in the garden and headed there with a sigh.

Sure enough, she found her husband and two children busy playing some sort of game that they invented.

"Mommy!" William cried excitedly as he ran up to her. Her youngest almost jumped into her arms but she managed to stop from tackling her to the ground.

"Whoa there, Will. We're supposed to be gentle around Mommy until your little brother or sister is born, remember?" Ben chimed in and quickly scooped the dark-haired boy into his arms. A smile spread over her face as she laid her hands on her swollen belly. The baby wasn't due for a while, but William and Madeleine were already picking names and deciding how it was going to be raised. Sometimes she thought that they were even more excited than she and Ben was.

"Sorry, Mommy," the five year-old boy said sincerely, his blue eyes round. "Are you angry?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Of course not, Will. I'm glad you're excited." She kissed him on his head. "Maddy? Where did you get off to?" she called, turning her attention back to her eldest. "You know you have history today."

"Can't you give her a break, Bells? What's one day?" Ben asked as he shot her his signature grin and put his squirming son back on the ground. "We were just in the middle of finding the pirate's treasure."

She sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. "You let them get away with everything. That girl is already so much like you that it's frightening. One of you is enough," she teased, crossing her arms.

"Now you're just being silly," he countered and she rolled her eyes again.

"Madeleine Rose Finn, I'm not asking again," she called turning serious once again.

Their nine year-old daughter poked her blond head out of one of the shrubs, her emerald eyes pointedly avoiding her mother's gaze. "Do I have to, Mommy? It's just a bunch of facts about dead people," she moaned as she skulked out of her hiding place. "I know that-"

"No argument, young lady. Professor Samuel is already waiting for you and it's rude to make him wait even longer," she said sternly. Madeleine looked as if she was going to argue, but let out a huge sigh instead.

"Alright…"

When Madeleine disappeared through the castle door, Annabelle crouched as far as she could next to William. "Will, why don't you go see what Jasper is up to? I'm sure he'd love to tell you that story you like so much," she said. William's eyes lit up and he immediately sprinted off to the castle as well.

With both of her children out of the way, she turned her stern glance to her husband.

"Can't I give her a break?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm glad I have your support."

"You are one mean lady, your Majesty," he countered, smiling brightly. "Let her enjoy her childhood while she can."

"She needs to learn how to be an effective ruler so that when we're gone…" she trailed off and she could feel involuntary tears welling up in her eyes. "These horrid pregnancy mood shifts," she muttered wiping at them fiercely. "I can't seem to stop crying at the silliest things."

"Hey, come here." He pulled her into a tight embrace, chuckling softly. "I promise I won't argue with you about lessons again, alright?"

"Yes, you will. Arguing with each other is one of the things were best at." She pushed him away to look him in the eye and shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Whatever is wrong with me that I decided that raising a family with you was a good idea?"

"Well, if we mess up the first one, we always have two more tries to get it right," he joked, kissing her forehead and placing his hands over her stomach. "And failing that, we try again."

"I don't know who you think who you married, General, but I am not going to spend my life popping out children," she laughed and slapped him on his arm. "I love our children to death, but I don't think I can handle another pregnancy just yet. I'm trying to get through this one as it is."

"But I love it when you're like this…So completely unpredictable and so unbelievably beautiful." The arrogant smirk he usually wore was back on his face, but his eyes shone with a quiet intensity. "I love you."

She rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the tenth time that day. "I love you too, you infuriating buffoon. Now let us get back to your son. I don't want him to tear down the castle."

"And here I thought you wanted to be alone with me," he sighed melodramatically as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "And why is he **my **son all of the sudden?"

"Do you prefer that I call him some other man's son?" she countered. "You know by now that when they get that mischievous streak in them, they are exactly like you."

"Charming? Dashing? Unbelievably attractive?"

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," she said dryly. "I must have hit my head in that Monorail station before we reached Mourningwood."

"It might have been that my charms were too much for your innocent royal heart to resist. Or I was the stupid one that went for a woman who accused me of confusing her gender." The smirk grew even wider. "And called me an infuriating idiot more times than I can count."

She bit back another smile. "I have to say…when I met the arrogant captain of the Swift brigade, I never thought that he would one day be the entirely willing father of my children."

"And I never thought that little girl that strolled into Mourningwood, covered in mud, blood and a rather scathing personality would agree to marry me. I was actually really scared that you were going to say no for a moment back then," he admitted.

"I've tried saying no to you, remember? It doesn't work out," she joked, kissing him on the tip of his oft-broken nose.

Ben sighed with contentment as he kissed his lovely wife again. The past ten years had easily been the best years of his life. With all the worries of the Crawler out of the way and Bowerstone now completely rebuilt, they'd settled into a relatively normal routine.

Ben had never thought that he'd become Albion's Prince-consort, but then again, he'd never thought that he'd end up married with children.

He couldn't be happier.

A smirk spread over his lips as he studied Annabelle who was staring out into the distance, clearly in thought.

"What are you thinking about, sweetheart?" he asked, pulling her close against him to lock his arms around her stomach and rested his head in the crook of her shoulder.

She turned around and snaked her arms around his neck a strange smile on her face. "I was just wondering why the fairytales always end with "And they all lived happily ever after". In my opinion, this is the very best part. It deserves to be told."

"This sure beats the dashing scoundrel and the beautiful princess riding off into the sunset. Much more complicated as well," he said sarcastically. "Then again, everything about us had been more complicated than any fairytale."

She smiled brightly and took his hands in hers to place it on her swollen stomach. "But would you change it?"

His smirk grew even wider when the baby kicked suddenly and he leaned down to brush his lips against hers.

"Not for anything in the world," he whispered before capturing her lips.

oOoOoOo

_AN: And there we are! Thank you all again for the continued support and I hope that I didn't disappoint with my ending._

_I'm far from done with the Fable world and this pairing and I have an idea for another, different Ben/Princess fic in the works, so I'll be sure to see you around! _

_Until we meet again!_

_;)_

_atotalRPGfan_


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